Takani's Night
by chris locke
Summary: Takani is a 5 year old girl, just out of the Ninja Academy. And she may be the most powerful ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village. Multiple OC. *Edit* Sort of slow in the beginning, but when it gets going it REALLY gets going.
1. Chapter 1

Takani didn't talk. She just sat in the back of the classroom, staring off into space. No one paid any attention to her.

When she first started attending the ninja academy, Iruka had been worried, but he soon understood that he would not be able to coax her to speak. Nothing worked.

"Do you know the answer, Takani?" he would occasionally ask. She'd nod.

"Can you tell us?"

The class would laugh. She'd just stare into Iruka's eyes until he felt uncomfortable and looked away. It worked every time. He'd never heard her speak, never heard her voice. He doubted that anyone in the Village Hidden in the Leaves had.


	2. Chapter 2

"Squad 7, Naruto Uzumaki," Iruka-sensei began. The class sat in strange anticipation over who would be paired with the failing screw-up.

"Sakura Haruno,"

The boy named Naruto jumped up in the air, cheering. Sakura looked as though she was going to puke.

"...and Sakuke Uchiha."

The positions switched. Now Sakura was cheering and Naruto was groaning. There had been a feud between him and Sasuke for a long time, both trying to be the best. So far Sasuke was winning.

Sakura was a well known fan of Sasuke's. She and Ino Yamanaka had fought over him for years. Now that Sakura and Sasuke were in the same squad, it seemed that she had won.

The next few squads were called and Takani just sat, totally uninterested in whether they were paired with friends or foes. Takani's name wasn't called.

By the end of the day, everyone but Takani had been assigned a squad. They were all congregating outside, talking about whether they liked their squads, as if they hadn't known everyone's reactions already.

Iruka was up at the front of the room, talking with Kakashi Hatake, leader of Squad 7, about a small problem that had occurred in the counting of the teams.

"Takani doesn't have an available team," he said. Kakashi thought for a second, momentarily putting his legendary book down. He was never seen without it.

"How did she do on her exams?"

"Flying colors. She got a solid hundred points, no mistake. She pays attention."

"I thought Sasuke got the highest score."

"I thought so too, until I checked the scores just a second ago. He was a half point below her."

Kakashi stared up at Takani, who was twiddling a pencil between her fingers. She was short and thin and did not look like a ninja in any way. How had this little thing gotten the highest score?

"Where's Gai right now?" Kakashi asked.

"I can get him," Iruka said and quickly left. Kakashi stared up at Takani.

"What do you think, where should you go?"

Takani didn't answer. She just shrugged her shoulders and stared at Kakashi. He didn't move.

"Don't speak, huh?"

Takani shook her head.

"Do you want to be a Genin?"

Takani shook her head again. Kakashi was confused.

"I don't understand. Do you want to stay in the Academy? It's boring having to listen to the same things over again, when you have such mastery of them."

Takani sighed, once again shaking her head. No, she didn't want to stay in the Academy.

"Do you want to be above a Genin? Chunin or Jonin?"

She nodded, smiling. Kakashi stared off into space for a moment, but was broken out of his thought by Iruka returning with Gai right behind him.

"So, little Takani-chan here doesn't have a team?"

Kakashi shook his head. Takani was once again uninterested, doodling on her paper.

"Is there anyone free that you know of?" Iruka asked Gai.

"Not at the moment, no. Everyone's working. What were her scores on the exams?"

Both Iruka and Kakashi answered. "100, perfectly. Above Sasuke Uchiha, even." The two stopped and stared at each other before bursting out into laughter.

Gai looked up at Takani, drawing.

"Is she the one that doesn't speak?"

"Yeah," Iruka said, "I haven't heard her utter a word."

"Last name?"

Iruka looked confused for a second. "I don't…know it. Her parent are dead, though. Does she know her last name?"

Takani nodded, still intent on whatever she was drawing.

"Would you tell us?"

She shook her head.

"This is so frustrating…" Iruka mumbled. "I do know her birthday, though. She wrote that out to me."

"So, how old is she?"

Iruka paused, thinking. "She should be five."

Gai whistled. "Only five and ready to graduate from the ninja academy…"

"Yeah."

Kakashi looked up at Takani, who was still doodling. Only five, sort of like him. He looked at her in a different light now.

"What are her specialties?"

"Just about everything. Her transformations are flawless. She could hit a target with a shuriken bulls-eye from a hundred meters, _blindfolded_. Everything you could think of, she has it."

"Now, the question is, will that make things easier or more difficult?"

Iruka and Gai looked at Kakashi, who had spoken. He was still staring at Takani, who had realized it and was staring back. They were locked in eye-to-eye combat.

"Takani-chan, can you please say something?" Iruka asked, sighing.

She shook her head without taking her eyes off of Kakashi.

"Should have known."

Kakashi was smiling. "She's a tricky one. Not something you see too often in a ninja, is it, Gai?"

Gai glared for a moment at Kakashi, but stopped himself before he could get too carried away. There was a more important task at hand.

"I'll take her around town, how about that? I'll ask any available Jonin I see if they have an idea. When all else fails, beg," Iruka said, smiling.

Gai and Kakashi nodded, then turned and went out separate doors. Iruka rolled his eyes, tired of the feud between the two.

"Did you hear that, Takani-chan? We're going for a walk."


	3. Chapter 3

Takani and Iruka walked through Konoha, her jet black hair blowing behind her. She was very small, and compared to her chunin-sensei, she looked even smaller. People stared at her, as though they had never seen her before.

Asuma Sarutobi, the nephew of the Hokage and the new squad leader for Team 10, was standing on a street corner, smoking. He was slouched on a pole, staring at Iruka and Takani.

"What's up, Iruka-kun?"

Iruka scowled at the diminutive reference, but brushed it off. "We need your help. I'm asking the help of any Jonin I see…about this little girl here. Her name is Takani, and she's just finished at the Academy, but there was a…small error in the counting of the teams. She doesn't have one."

"So? How did there get to be a counting error? Did she just come in or something? Can you hold her back?"

"Not really, seeing as she got the highest scores out of her entire class."

"Higher than the Uchiha kid? Wow, she really doesn't look like much."

"I know. The thing is, she doesn't talk. I mean, I've never heard her speak. Anyway, got any suggestions for what to do with her?"

"Not really. I got my own team to worry about, wish I could help. Kurenai-chan's got a team too. Not many free Jonin, especially ones who would like to take on a single student. Sorry."

Iruka sighed and started off again, Takani following closely. She was staring straight ahead.

"Well, that got us nowhere, huh?"

She nodded and looked around. They were about to pass Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto Uzumaki was gulping down as much as he could. Iruka rubbed a spot on his back for a moment, then shook his head and smiled down at Takani.

"How about…hmm. I really can't think of anyone. Not that it's you, Takani-chan…I just don't know of anyone ever taking on a single student. I don't know how we got the counting wrong, really. Please, can you at least say something?"

Takani sighed, then shook her head. She looked regretful, though. Iruka bit his lip.

"Maybe you can look tomorrow, first thing in the morning. I don't have class tomorrow, so how about I organize for a free Genin or two to help you out? How about in front of the Ninja Academy? They won't be too much older than you…"

Takani shrugged, not caring. It was all so much hassle, having to go to all this trouble just to get her into a team. Couldn't they all see that she didn't need all the extra training?

The two went their opposite ways, leaving Iruka worried and Takani in a chronic state of boredom.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Takani walked up to the front of the Academy. The door was locked, so she sat out front, waiting. The early morning birds were chirping. She closed her eyes and smiled, listening to the beautiful song.

"Hey, who're you?"

Takani looked up. A girl stood there. She was wearing a pink shirt and blue pants and her brown hair was in two buns. She smiled down at Takani.

"Who's there?" a boy's voice asked.

"I don't know. Didn't you hear me ask? She hasn't answered yet. Why don't you use the Byakugan for something useful, for once?"

The boy sighed. "I can't see her name, Tenten. Please, do not joke. We're on a mission."

"What kind of mission is going around town, trying to find a tutor for a pre-genin?"

"Any mission, no matter how small, must be taken and fulfilled with the utmost precision!" a second boy's voice rang out. He was wearing a green jumpsuit and orange legwarmers. The first boy had pale eyes and a serious expression.

"So, kid, what's your name?"

Takani didn't answer. She stared at Tenten for a moment before smiling. Then, she crouched down on the ground and wrote out her name.

Tenten smiled. The three Genin talked for a moment before turning to her.

"So, you are the one we have been assigned to escort?" the one in the green jumpsuit said. He had unnaturally large eyes.

"It's not an escort, Lee. We're walking a child around town, apparently because she is underage and cannot speak. Takani, how old are you?" the one with the pale eyes asked.

Takani held out five fingers. Tenten raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"Way underage, huh? Are you good?"

Takani shrugged.

"Well, if we are to help her, we must first introduce ourselves. I am Rock Lee, he is Neji, and she is Tenten," Rock Lee said.

"Let's get this over with, already. I haven't trained for this long just to play babysitter. Come on, kid."

Takani stood up and followed the three Genin into town. Rock Lee led the group, strutting through as though this mission was as serious as a real battle. Tenten followed closely, chatting with the people they passed, and Neji, surprisingly, walked alongside Takani in silence.

As they walked, Takani examined Neji's face. His pale eyes revealed that he was a Hyuga. From studying Hinata Hyuga in the Academy, Takani had also learned that all Hyugas had the power of the Byakugan.

"What?" Neji asked, seeing Takani staring.

Takani shook her head. He slightly raised his eyebrows, and the corners of his mouth almost reached a smile, but he caught himself and his face was serious again.

"Do you have any special techniques?" Neji asked. Tenten turned around in surprise.

"Making small talk with a little kid? That's so unlike you, Neji."

Neji didn't answer. He waited for Takani to talk, or at least respond.

She nodded. He looked at her questioningly. What kind of special technique could a five year old have?

She just smiled and put a finger on her lips. Neji rolled his eyes and kept walking. Children were so frustrating.

Lee had stopped at a small shop and was talking to the owner. He was a large man wearing an apron.

"Lee, what are you doing now? How could he help us?"

"Gai-sensei says that even the most insignificant person could hold useful information."

The man shook his head, and Lee sighed. The first person had been asked for help and already there was none. But Lee's spirit couldn't be crushed.

"There are always more to ask," he said.

Neji didn't say anything for the rest of the day. Person after person, even a few Chunin and Jonin, and there was no success. At the end of the day, even Lee was tired. Tenten had been bored from the first moment on, but Neji had been thinking the whole time, still wondering what special jutsu a five-year-old could have.

"I hope you find someone to teach you," Lee said as his team left. Then he cracked Takani a big smile and patted her on the head. Tenten rolled her eyes and ran off.

Neji came up to Takani and looked at her for a moment. "I'm still confused as to what special technique you have," he said. Takani looked down and kicked the ground, unsure. Should she tell him or not?

She shook her head and Neji nodded. Then he turned and left. As he got farther away, he heard a voice. "Think Sasuke!"

He whirled around, but no one was there. He shook his head and ran to catch up with Tenten and Lee.


	5. Chapter 5

The moon was high in the clear night sky. Takani wandered the Konoha streets, examining the closed shops. The only one lit was a small pawn shop on the other end of town, but that was open for travelers day and night. It held no interest for her.

A shadow passed quickly to Takani's left. Her eyes widened, and she tensed her body. Something was there that hadn't been before.

The same shadow passed to her right. She didn't turn her head. The wind whistled almost silently just behind her head to the left. She waited until it got close.

She ducked and struck out with her foot in the direction that the shadow traveled. She missed, but her hand came out to catch it when it came around her to the front. This time her blow connected, but only in a brush. Whatever it was, it was fast.

The shadow now came at her from the side. Fleetingly, she saw a hand headed for her shoulder. She moved, but a second too late. The hand grasped her shoulder and whoever it was stood behind her.

She looked at the ground, eyes wide. She had been caught? The only person who would be fast enough would be a Jonin, or maybe Rock Lee. He had said that day that he was a taijutsu specialist, so he'd be good at speed.

"Hey, what's a little kid doing out on the streets at night?" a male voice said.

Takani said nothing. She slowly turned her head to see who had caught her. The first thing she saw was the Konoha forehead protector. The man had brown hair that hung around his eyes, which were silver and very deep-set.

"I'm Kiyoshi Yamada. You have a place to sleep?"

Takani thought for a moment, then shook her head. What would he do if she didn't have a place to go for the night?

"Your parents okay with you being out?"

Takani shrugged. She hoped he'd take the hint, or at least drop the subject. He didn't.

"What's your name?"

Takani touched her throat, as though she was choking. He nodded.

"You can't talk, can you?"

She shook her head.

"Can you write your name on the ground? I like to know who I'm talking to."

Takani crouched down and wrote her name on the dirt.

"Takani, huh? Well, you want to bunk with me tonight?"

Takani nodded, smiling. All she had to do was play the innocent kid and she'd be fine. She might even get a free meal in the process.

She followed Kiyoshi through town to the more inhabited part. He lived in the hospital, in a back room because his sister worked there as a Medical-Nin. It was small but cozy, so Takani got to sleep on the couch.

"Are you just out of the Ninja Academy?"

Takani nodded. She and Kiyoshi were sitting in his living room.

"How old are you, Taka-chan?"

Takani held out five fingers. Kiyoshi's eyes widened. How could a child of five already be out of the Academy?"

"So I guess you started early?"

Takani shook her head.

"But that means…when did you start? This year?"

Takani nodded.

Kiyoshi dropped a bowl of rice he was eating, then sighed and started to pick up the pieces.

"Only one year…wow. You have to be good to do that. You know Sasuke Uchiha, then? He's supposed to be the best."

Takani nodded. Sasuke was supposed to be the best. She could beat him, though. In a fight, even if he was seven years older.

"I'll have to talk to someone about you in the morning. Iruka Umino is teaching at the Academy nowadays? I haven't seen him in forever. Actually, I remember being in the Academy with him. I'm not as old as I look."

Takani smiled. She was actually having a nice conversation. Adults were usually so…self-centered. They thought that just because she was a child she was inferior and stupid. Kiyoshi seemed different.

"Shame he isn't a Jonin. He could kick my butt any day. So, how about we go and see Iruka-sensei in the morning? Sleep tight."


	6. Chapter 6

"So, I found little Takani-chan wandering the streets alone last night. She one of yours?"

Iruka smiled. "Thank you. If you haven't noticed already, she doesn't speak."

"Is she mute?"

"I don't think so. If she was, would she be able to talk in her transformations? I just don't think she wants people to hear her voice."

"Oh, well then. Who's squad is she on?"

Iruka sighed. "No one's yet. We…er…miscalculated the number of students and were left with her. We're trying to get her a Jonin, but no one seems available."

Kiyoshi got a sly look in his eye. Iruka caught it and looked thoughtful.

"You? I don't know. Have you ever had students before?"

"No, but it's never too late to try, huh? She'll at least have a teacher, right?"

Iruka thought for a moment. "I don't see why not. I'll just have to clear it up with Kakashi and Gai…Oh! I almost forgot. Takani, how'd it go with your helpers yesterday?"

Takani shook her head. Nothing had happened, at least nothing helpful. Neji had been interesting, however.

"You like any of them? Make any friends?" then, to Kiyoshi, "I sent her out with Gai's team yesterday, seeing if anyone around town had any ideas for her placement."

Kiyoshi nodded in acknowledgement. Then he looked down at the tiny Takani and sighed.

"She told me that she's only five, is this true?"

"Yeah. She actually just started this year. It's amazing. She even scored higher than Sasuke Uchiha."

Kiyoshi's eyes went wide. "Geez, if I'd been that good…"

"And according to Kakashi, she doesn't even want to be a Genin. She want's to go straight to Chunin or Jonin."

"I don't think that's going to happen," Kiyoshi said, smiling.

"Well, I'll write you down for her…Kiyoshi," Iruka said, turning towards his podium. The children still in the Academy were just filing into the classroom, which was strangely empty after a lot of students had become Genin two days before.

"Come, Takani," Kiyoshi said, pushing her along by her shoulder. She was still getting used to the idea of having a teacher, but not a squad. For her entire year at the Academy she had thought about how she could interact with two other people for a few years. Now she'd never have a chance to do any of it. Why couldn't she be normal?

"From now on, I'm Kiyoshi-sensei, if you decide to talk, that is. I guess we'll have to get going. All the other graduates this year are Genin already. We'll have to take that test today, right? You have to become a Genin before you can become Chunin or Jonin."

Takani nodded impatiently. Why couldn't he just get to the training? She didn't have forever.

"So, later today. Eat lunch, get ready. I'll start at exactly noon. Be in the forest. I'll leave you some markers of where I am. See you then."

Takani nodded and turned away.


	7. Chapter 7

Takani first saw the scratched up tree trunk. It had been cut in the shape of an arrow with a kunai, and pointed west into the forest. She smiled and started to walk.

Another mark, another arrow. Apparently Kiyoshi-sensei had decided to start in the center of the forest. Takani carried only a few weapons with her—five kunai, three shuriken and a couple paper bombs. She felt prepared enough.

The first thing she saw was a shadow, the same as the day she had met Kiyoshi. The forest was light, so the darkness stood out. It ran in front of her, so fast that it hardly registered. She took a kunai in one hand, but her long sleeves concealed it. She kept looking through the bag, as though taking inventory. The shadow had to think that she was off guard so it would get reckless and attack.

"Thirty seconds till noon," Kiyoshi's voice echoed through the woods. Takani's eyes widened. Of course! The shadow was one of Kiyoshi's jutsu. A shadow transformation of some kind? Or a shadow puppet? She'd never heard of either.

She tipped her arm up, and the kunai slid down her sleeve and into a small pocket on the inside. If it had really been thirty seconds to noon as Kiyoshi had said, then now there was only twenty. She had to prepare herself without seeming…obvious. Now was her chance to show her skill.

Ten, nine. The hairs on Takani's neck pricked. The shadow was right behind her. Slightly to the right. Three inches away. Eight, seven, six. Takani ran her hand along the back of her neck to ease it. The shadow moved. It was so hard, trying to judge the shadow's location without being able to see it. It moved at such an intense speed…

Five, four. Takani smiled slightly, sitting at the base of a tree. As she had walked into the small clearing she was in now, she had examined the trees and there was a tiny paper bomb on top of the branch just above her head. It would detonate at exactly noon, no doubt. If she could judge the right second, she could use the branch to her advantage.

Three, two, one. Takani braced herself. Nothing came. She waited another few seconds. Still nothing. Takani slowly told herself to relax. It would come.

Nothing. Her heart was racing. She felt the kunai in the pouch on her arm, but it gave her no confidence. In the end, all it was was a bit of metal.

Suddenly, a puff above her head. It didn't register for a moment, but the instant the branch cracked Takani knew what was coming. Without turning her head, she saw the branch. It was not huge, but it was twice as long as she was and pretty thick. She didn't know if she could catch it or not. Maybe, if she focused enough chakra to her hands…

The branch fell. Takani focused on her hands, while putting on a show of surprise. She had to seem more vulnerable than she was, or she'd never win a fight with a Jonin.

As the branch hit her chakra-filled hands, Takani felt strength. As long as she could keep the flow of chakra to her hands steady, she could carry the branch and use it as a weapon. Or, better, a distraction.

"Use of chakra, check," Kiyoshi's voice said.

Takani held the branch on her shoulder. It weighed her down, but not enough to stop her. The shadow darted in front of her. It probably thought that she didn't recognize it, or if she did she wouldn't know how to react.

"Confused yet?"

Takani shook her head, her eyes moving as fast as they could. Maybe now would be the time, or maybe not.

The shadow came behind her and a hand hit her on the shoulder. The blow weakened her, and as the pain came she made sure to take the branch off of it. She'd never be able to hit the shadow with the branch. It was too fast. It would have to be a distraction, after all.

"Do you want to know what you have to do?"

Takani nodded at Kiyoshi's voice. Of course she wanted to know!

"All you have to do is stay alive for the next hour."

Alive? That's all she had to do? Kiyoshi underestimated her.

"I'll be coming at you full speed. If you haven't noticed already, I have a shadow puppet. However, my chakra isn't strong enough to keep it going for an extended period of time. I'll expect you to show me a technique of your own, one that I can't match. The hour starts now."

As if the world had been on pause before, it was now on full speed. The shadow darted to Takani's left, then her right. Then a blow landed on her back. It knocked her off her feet.

She had to keep moving. If she stopped, she'd get hit. But she still had no way to defeat the shadow puppet. That wasn't the objective, but she had to prove herself.

As she stood up, a blow hit her in the stomach. She was on her hands and knees again, and another hit caught her in the back of the head and threw it to the ground.

The air whistled to Takani's left. Suddenly, she could see the shadow. As it was about to hit, she straightened her left arm and deflected it. Then, she took her foot and swept the ground where the shadow was. It jumped into the air to avoid being kicked, but Takani was already there and punched the shadow. Her hand passed straight through it. The shadow held her arm, though, and threw her into a tree. A small bit of blood ran around her eye. Pain rocketed her body, but she couldn't stop after just a few hits. If she was down after only this long, she'd never make it through the hour.

The shadow darted around the tree a few times, more wary now that she had almost hit it. But if she was to hurt the shadow, she'd need to use ninjutsu. If her punch hadn't hit it, then a shuriken or kunai wouldn't either.

The shadow grabbed Takani's arm and swung her off the tree. Then, it started to rise. Up, over the trees, over the mountain. She was so high that the ground must have been three or four hundred feet below. The shadow would probably drop her in a few moments. She'd have to find some way to stop her fall or she'd die. It had only been ten minutes. She'd never make it through an hour at this rate.

Without warning, the shadow started to plummet, still clutching Takani's arm. What was it doing? Why didn't it just drop her?

Then she understood. The shadow was going to run her into the ground as fast as it could go. She quieted her heart and started to focus chakra to her feet.

"The same trick? You can't expect to be able to use a move twice," Kiyoshi's voice said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow flipped Takani onto her head. She was now heading headfirst toward the ground. The few hundred feet flew by in just a few seconds. Any moment now she would hit the ground.

Takani felt a sharp scrape as she entered the tree line. She had a second, maybe two, to stop herself. Her heart couldn't be stopped now. Blood pounded in her ears, and she struggled to stay calm.

With all her strength, Takani pushed herself off of a nearby tree. The speed that she was travelling at scraped her shoes and pulled back her ankle. Pain shot through her leg, but she felt the grip of the shadow leave her and she shot forward, just feet from the ground.

Takani faced her body flat forward to slow herself down. She fell to the ground and stumbled on her bad ankle, but then she caught herself and spun to face wherever the shadow would come from.

"That was too simple, Takani. You need to use a new move."

Takani sighed. Not only did she have to stay alive, she had to use a new move? Well, if she ever wanted to become a Genin and then go on to her rightful Chunin or Jonin, she'd have to surpass the expectations.

The shadow slithered around the base of a tree trunk, but Takani saw it. She tried to follow it with her eyes, but it wasn't working. It hit the back of her head, knocking her forward. Then it landed on her back, pushing her into the ground again. She coughed, and a bit of blood flew from her mouth. She lay there on the ground for a moment, wondering if she should use her technique.

She saw the shadow fly in front of her eyes, then behind her. A hand grabbed her ankle, but it didn't feel like the unbreakable grip of the shadow puppet. It was an actual hand, and it dragged her backwards along the ground. Takani whipped her head around, but whoever it was was gone.

She turned and started to get up, but the hand pushed her head back down. She turned again, but again it was not there. This time, though, she saw a glimpse of a sandal flying up. It was a shinobi, and it was probably Kiyoshi-sensei.

She tested it again, trying to get back up, but when the hand pushed her down again she still only caught a flash of the attacker. Now she had no choice but to use her power.

She closed her eyes, sending chakra to them. She felt the power start to grow in them, coursing through. They felt like they could see through her eyelids, and when she opened them, the world was in complete focus. She saw every bug crawling on the ground, every wisp of dust in the air. Her eyes moved faster, too.

"Sharingan!" she screamed, standing up. When Kiyoshi-sensei's hand came down to push on her, it hesitated. She heard a gasp, and suddenly Kiyoshi was standing in front of her.

"You're an…Uchiha?" he asked incredulously, his eyes wide.

Takani nodded, giving him an evil smile. Now she had two advantages, the sharingan and Kiyoshi's shock. She launched herself in the air and came at Kiyoshi with a kick. He deflected it, but Takani's fist came soon after, catching him in the jaw. He staggered back.

Takani landed and spun to face Kiyoshi-sensei. He was already after her. He threw a kunai in her direction. Takani dodged it, expecting it to be a distraction. As it flew past her, she snatched it and instantly threw it back at Kiyoshi, straight as a bullet.

He jumped to the side and started to run after her. She saw his hand move almost before he did, and she flipped back to avoid his hit. When she got back on her feet, she saw that he was making a hand sign.

"Shadow Clones?" she hissed as he multiplied. "You think I'm that stupid?"

"No," Kiyoshi said, "I think you're too smart."

Takani faltered for a moment, and a clone kicked her in the gut. She slashed her fist through it, and it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

She threw her arm in a wide arc, sending the kunai hidden in her sleeve at the real Kiyoshi. He narrowly missed it, and it hit another clone. There were six or seven, so Takani started slashing through them.

"The sharingan can see which are fake, can't it?"

Takani didn't answer. She ran headfirst into Kiyoshi's gut, causing him to fall backwards. His fist caught her chest, knocking the wind out of her. They both fell in opposite directions.

"Half an hour left," Kiyoshi said, smiling.

"Shut up and fight," Takani said, hopping back.

She summoned up her chakra and did the same hand sign as Kiyoshi-sensei had.

"Shadow Clone jutsu!" she called, and five clones sprang up behind her.

Kiyoshi grinned in expectation. "Shadow Puppet jutsu!" he said, and the shadow flew along the ground from his feet, straight towards the Takani clones.

Takani's clones ran towards Kiyoshi, but his kicks made most of them puff into smoke. Suddenly, a foot hit his gut, knocking him backwards. The real Takani had hidden herself in the other clones. She stepped on his chest and hopped off.

As he got up and turned around, a flash of darkness hit his head, pushing him backwards. Takani stood there, smiling.

"Bet you've never had to fight your own Shadow Puppet," Takani said.

Kiyoshi's eyes widened, and a swooping shadow hit him under the chin, knocking him a few more feet back.

His Shadow Puppet was sneaking up on Takani, but her sharingan caught its every movement and dodged its attacks. She pressed her hands together.

"You don't have enough chakra!" Kiyoshi yelled, standing up and barreling towards her. She had just done five shadow clones, a shadow puppet and besides that she was fueling the sharingan. At this rate she'd be out of chakra with ten minutes to go.

"Fire Style, Finger Flame jutsu!" she cried. Kiyoshi's stared. She could use an elemental jutsu? At five?

"You said for me to use a jutsu you couldn't match," she said, "So I'll show you a creation of my own."

Chakra formed at her fingertips in massive amounts. It glowed bluish white and painted her face white.

Kiyoshi gasped as the chakra on her fingertips burst into flames. She was now holding a ball of flaming chakra.

"Did I mention that these can target?" she asked, keeping the sly grin on her face. Kiyoshi had to move, to get up off the ground, but he was frozen in place. One of Takani's hands was aimed directly towards him, the other at his shadow puppet.

"Don't do it!" Kiyoshi yelled, but the balls of flame had already left Takani's hands. It shot at lightning speed.

The flame hit Kiyoshi in the forehead, knocking him ten feet back into a tree. He slumped down, his arm bent at a strange angle. He didn't move.

The moment the ball of flame hit the shadow, it started to burn. The shadow ran around in all different directions before finally burning away. Takani smiled weakly.

Then she collapsed.


	8. Chapter 8

"Takani-chan?" a female voice asked.

Takani stirred. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the blindingly white ceiling of the hospital. The second thing she saw was the nurse. The third, Iruka-sensei.

"Takani, do you feel okay?" he asked, smiling.

She nodded, then coughed. She looked so tired, and she had bruises all over.

"We found you and Kiyoshi in the forest yesterday," he said. "Did you have a fight?"

Takani nodded.

"Was it the Genin test?"

Takani nodded again. Iruka sighed. Kiyoshi had said as much.

"We have Kiyoshi-sensei here, would you like to see him?" the nurse asked. Iruka nodded in approval.

"Hey, Taka-chan," Kiyoshi said as he entered.

Takani smiled, but it was forced. Kiyoshi had a bandage around his head, and another around his stomach, but he was walking and talking so he couldn't be all that badly hurt.

"Crazy day yesterday, huh?" he asked. "Funny thing is, I can't remember a thing. Must have gotten hit in the head or something. Do you remember?"

Takani shook her head. Kiyoshi sighed. "It had something to do with our Genin test, that's all I remember. All you had to do was stay alive for an hour, and I come out all banged up and you out of chakra. Something must have happened."

Iruka looked strange. "I don't know if that's enough to pass her, but with her chakra this drained she can't take another test for a few days. Anyway, we need to find her a new teacher. Your arm is broken, isn't it, Kiyoshi?"

Kiyoshi nodded. His arm was in a cast, and it still looked a bit bent. Maybe they hadn't been able to fix it completely. Takani felt sick. She had come at her teacher with the intent to kill, and he didn't know it.

"If she's getting a new teacher, they have to know her skills. She may have to take another test."

Iruka still looked strange. He was thinking. He didn't want the student at the top of her class to have to take a test more than once. She wouldn't be happy about it. In fact, however hard it may be, it would bore her after the first few times. Takani learned fast, even if she was young.

"So, does she get moved up to Genin?" Kiyoshi asked.

"I'm afraid I can't make that decision. It's up to her teacher, and since her teacher isn't exactly sure what happened, I don't know."

Kiyoshi sighed. "It's my choice, isn't it? Well, I feel that she got me bad. I mean, a pre-Genin against a Jonin and she won. When I woke up, even my Shadow Puppet was gone."

Iruka shrugged. "Your choice. I have the headband in my room anyway. Come to me if you think she qualifies."

Iruka left and Kiyoshi took his seat. He stared at Takani for a moment before speaking.

"Do you remember what happened yesterday?" he asked.

Takani hesitated. Should she tell him that she knew everything? Or would that bring back his memory? She couldn't take chances, and if he remembered that she was an Uchiha…

She shook her head. Kiyoshi lowered his head and stood up. He left silently and closed the door.

Takani sat in the bed, staring out the window and thinking. The sun was bright, and a few birds flew over the town. Children played on the streets below, and for a moment Takani wondered what it would be like to be a normal child for once. To play, not to have to worry about becoming a kunoichi, or to have any problem at all. If only she'd been born to anyone else. If only she wasn't an Uchiha.

The door opened, breaking Takani out of her thoughts. Tenten and Neji stepped in, carrying a basket.

"We got some time off of training, so Neji wanted to see if you were okay," Tenten said, smiling.

Takani smiled as Neji put the basked by the bed. His expression didn't change. He seemed rock hard, like he never had any emotions. But when he looked at Takani, he did the almost-smile thing again.

"They say you don't remember anything. Is this true?" Neji asked.

Takani nodded. Tenten started to rock on her heels. She obviously didn't want to linger too long. Takani almost smiled. Tenten was jealous that Neji was paying more attention to a five year old than his teammate.

"I'm going to go see if Lee's killed himself yet," Tenten said, leaving.

Neji stared at Takani for a moment. "Okay, then. I'll be there in just a moment," he called to Tenten, not taking his eyes off of Takani.

"Thank you," Takani said. She didn't know what made her want to speak to him, but she did. He looked at her in shock for a moment, but regained his composure and nodded.

"You're welcome."

He turned and left. Takani leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed the basket. She placed it on her lap and started to look through it.

Inside was a small tan pouch. She took it out and opened it. Inside were five kunai, three shuriken and a few paper bombs. There was also a note.

_Takani:_

_You left this in the forest. We were amongst the group that found you and took you and Kiyoshi-sensei home, and as we were leaving I found this. I hope that it is useful to you later._

_Neji Hyuga_

Takani read the note twice. Team Gai had found her and Kiyoshi? That seemed…strange. Then again, many strange things happened to her. Still, she felt odd about Neji. He'd gained a reputation as a no-nonsense fighter, and this seemed so out of character, to even acknowledge a child.

She felt this strange feeling, almost like a need. A need to see Neji again. It was totally foreign to Takani, but she thought that maybe Neji was…a friend.


	9. Chapter 9

Takani got up in the middle of the night, despite her nurse's wishes. The night was just so cool and clear that she couldn't afford to waste it sitting in a hospital bed. She wasn't even that badly hurt, and her chakra grew much faster than the doctors knew. In less than 5 hours it would be at full again.

She walked along the street right in front of the hospital, where she had seen the children playing. They had left some toys out: a ball, a puzzle with some pieces missing, a toy train. They were just left out on the street for parents to pick up in the morning.

She picked up the train and examined it. If you wound a spring on the bottom, the wheels turned. She turned the spring a few times, and set the train down. It sped along for about six feet before stopping. Takani then picked up the ball.

It was large and filled with beans so when I was rolled over or someone shook it, they rattled around. She gave it a small shake, and the beans moved. How could this be fun? There was nothing inspiring about a rubber sphere with uncooked beans in it, or a small train that hardly went two body-lengths.

She walked the streets, the same as she had the night she had met Kiyoshi. It was only three days ago, but it seemed so far in the past. She realized that she didn't even know him all that well. She'd just met him, and she'd nearly killed him.

Takani shook her head. When she was alone she thought too much. If Kiyoshi wasn't mad, then she shouldn't be either. Somehow, though, she wished that everyone could see her power. It would make everything so much easier.

"Hey, little girl," a voice said. Takani stiffened.

"What're you doing out here? It's dangerous," said a second voice. Both were male, probably twenty or so.

Takani didn't turn. She heard the footsteps come closer. She had been holding a kunai in her hand, and now she tightened her grip on it. She calmly took another out of her pack.

"Ooooh, looks like we got a scary ninja girl on our hands," said the first.

"Scary," repeated the second.

"Well, we're ninjas, too, would you look at that."

"Yeah, odd."

The first started running. His footsteps got closer, and when he was within twenty feet he threw the shuriken. Takani caught it mid-spin.

"What the—" the second said, running after his buddy.

Takani whipped her body around, throwing the shuriken back towards their heads. It flew just as planned, slicing off some of the first man's hair. It stuck in a street sign.

Takani dashed towards the two men, hiding the kunai in her long sleeves again. She shook them out into her hands just as she passed through the gap in between the men. The blades cut into their arms, and they both fell back.

"Wait! Don't!" called the first guy, who was trying to inconspicuously reach for a knife. Takani threw a kunai, knocking the knife from the man's hand.

"Shadow Puppet jutsu!" she cried, putting her hands together in a sign. The shadow left out from under her feet and moved like lightning around the men. They turned around in circles, trying to keep their eyes on it.

"I don't even know why I'm wasting so much chakra on you pedophiles. Go away or I'll make you."

Takani was so tiny, yet in that moment she was a monster. She would not be reckoned with. And the thing was, she liked the feeling.

The men ran off as fast as they could. Takani retracted the shadow, then sat on the ground. She stared off into space.

"T-takani?"

She whirled around to see Kiyoshi-sensei standing behind her. His eyes were wide.

"You…did all that? Where did you learn my Shadow Puppet?"

Takani sighed. Either she had to lie fast or tell the truth and reveal all that she had been keeping secret for her entire life.

"During the test the day before yesterday…you taught me. It's all I can remember. It wasn't all that hard, so…"

Kiyoshi sighed. "Please don't lie to me, Taka-chan. I want to know the truth."

Takani knew what she had to do. She stood up, head down, and ran. She couldn't lie any more, but she couldn't tell the truth, either.


	10. Chapter 10

"He's dead?"

"I thought he'd never live too long, the fool."

"But so soon? I thought he…"

"Who died?"

"Didn't he just take on a student?"

"It has to be a hoax. They don't just…die like that."

"Poor guy."

Takani walked through town, and all she heard from every ninja she passed was about a Jonin who had died.

As she walked down Main Street , Takani saw Iruka-sensei making his way through the crowd. He was walking fast.

"Takani-chan! I thought I'd never find you," he said as he walked up.

Takani looked up at Iruka with confusion. Why would he be looking for her? There always had to be a reason, and for some reason Takani knew it had to do with the dead Jonin.

"Takani, I need to talk to you. It's about Kiyoshi-sensei…"

Takani nodded. So, he was dead. She felt torn. Now that he was gone, her problems were over, but still, he was _dead_. Her teacher was dead. It came as a blow, even though it was one she was expecting.

"I guess you've heard, then. We'll need to find you a new teacher. This is getting way too complicated…"

Takani took Iruka's hand and they walked back to the Academy. She still hated the fact that she was not even a Genin yet. If only she could tell Iruka what had happened in the woods…

"You'll never become a Genin at this rate…"

Takani stopped. Never…become a Genin? She knew that Iruka didn't really mean it, that it was just a figure of speech, but the words still caught her. Never…

"What's wrong?" Iruka asked, confused. Takani shook her head.

"Apparently he died fighting a ninja from another village," Iruka said, grimacing. Takani looked down, wondering what had happened. She felt strange, like she was sad. She had barely known Kiyoshi, but she still felt sorrow.

"We may need to put you with another team for a few days, until we figure something out. Before he died, Kiyoshi-sensei decided to make you a Genin. If you want, I have your forehead protector in my room back at the Academy. Do you want it?"

Takani nodded. She pictured in her mind the gleaming metal plate with the Konoha leaf on it, and the blue tie. It seemed so perfect. She desperately wanted it.

"Let's go, then," Iruka said, smiling. He took Takani's hand and they walked to the Academy. Takani stared at his hand for most of the way. It was so big...and the touch felt strange. To be touched by another person...to hold someone's hand. It was totally foreign.

When they reached the Academy, Takani felt this feeling take her over. Her eyes got wide, and she started to dash towards the door. It was such a childish act, to let go of her calm for this long, that she reveled in it.

Iruka laughed, jogging after her. He opened the door to find her staring at a Konoha headband sitting on the table. It was like many other in the village, but Takani was staring at it as though it was gold.

She picked it up, looking at it from every angle. Then, she put it to her forehead, under her long bangs, and tied it around her head. The long bits of hair above the plate framed her face, and her long hair still swept down her back. She adjusted it, and for a moment she looked so much older.

Iruka smiled and walked over to her. She was feeling every bit of the forehead protector, from the metal to the band around her head to the small bolts holding the metal plate on. Her fingers traced the Konoha leaf.

Then, she smiled up at Iruka. "Thank you."

Then she dashed out the door, leaving Iruka speechless. Takani had spoken.


	11. Chapter 11

"I see you're a Genin, then," Neji said, staring off into the night sky. Takani nodded.

"But you don't have a teacher. This causes quite a problem."

"It does. But I don't think that'll be a problem. All I have to do is work on my technique and attend the Chunin Exams. Once I'm a Chunin, Jonin'll be a snap," Takani said. It was the most she had spoken in her life to another person, and it fascinated her how easy it was to talk to Neji. She found it easiest to unload your problems on someone with good control over their emotions. Outgoing people confused and scared her.

The two sat on the roof of a shop in town. The owners were out of town for the week, so it was an ideal hangout to get away.

"Who do you most look forward to fighting?" Neji asked.

"Anyone I find skilled enough to give me a good match."

"I find your confidence interesting. What if your opponent outweighs you by a great amount? Do you believe you could combat pure force?"

"I think. I hope. All I must do is build enough muscle so I can win against anyone. A battle with Kakashi Hatake would be interesting. If he thinks his single sharingan can top anyone, he's wrong. I can tell you a secret if you can keep it. I mean, really keep it. No one else may know."

Neji nodded. "I can, if you wish to tell me."

"It may be easier to show you," Takani said, standing. She closed her eyes and took a breath, focusing all her chakra to them.

She opened them, and Neji looked on in interest. Was this the secret technique she had told him about earlier? What could a simple blink have anything to do with it?

She crouched back down and stared into his eyes. For a moment he didn't see it, in the dark, but when the cloud covering the moon moved, he did.

Her eyes were glowing red, each with two small marks in them. They moved so fast, and he smiled.

"An almost fully developed sharingan, in both eyes. A sign of the Uchiha. So there's another one left, hm? Intriguing."

Takani stared at him in shock. One more left? What did he mean by that?

"One…more? Where are the rest? Did they have to leave Konoha? I don't understand…"

Neji looked surprised. "You don't know about…the Uchiha Clan? I thought everyone did."

Takani's eyes started to tear, but she fought it off. She could show no emotion. Not now.

"Where did they go? Could I find them anywhere? I need to know!"

"They are…dead. The Uchiha Clan Massacre. Five years ago. Every single one, except for Sasuke Uchiha was killed."

Time stopped moving. The earth stopped spinning. Takani stared at a point just past Neji in disbelief. Her clan, dead? It was impossible. The Uchihas were the strongest clan in the Leaf Village. No way they could all be dead.

"You're…lying," she said quietly, turning her wide eyes to Neji. He looked at her strangely. "You're…LYING!"

She slapped him across the face and leaped off the building. Takani hit the ground running, still trying to hold back the tears. No. He was wrong. No way he could be right…

"Takani!" he yelled after her. She didn't hear his footsteps behind her. Good. The liar wasn't going to follow.

She didn't speak, just ran faster. The forest of Konoha was just ahead. She plunged into the trees. Whenever she felt the tears come again, she bit her lip and ran faster.

She stopped running when she got to the clearing where she and Kiyoshi had fought. It was dark now, and the moon made the leaves of the trees dapple the forest floor. She stared at the tree that had exploded above her. The branch lay five feet away, cracked in half. More death. Kiyoshi, the branch, her dreams.

She slapped herself so hard she fell to the side. No. She couldn't think like that. Neji had betrayed her. No, he wouldn't lie. This was a dream, then. If she curled up by the tree, she'd wake up in Kiyoshi's house, just about to see Iruka. If she could just replay it all from there, not injure Kiyoshi so badly, follow him the next night to see who would come to kill him.

"Shut up, Takani," she told herself, hating the sound of her own voice.

A childish part of her wanted to run back to the village, back to the Academy, or maybe back to Iruka-sensei. To be comforted was all she wanted. But she knew that she wouldn't do it. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't run back.

The tears ran freely now. They poured down her face and fell onto her clothing. Her black shorts and dark blue shirt, tied at the waist with a red ribbon. Her mother's ribbon. It was thick, about two and a half inches wide.

Takani ripped her new Konoha headband off and threw it to the ground. Then, she pulled off the red ribbon and tied it around her head in the same fashion. Then she picked up the forehead protector.

She sat on the ground and picked up a sharp rock. She then started to carve into the metal plate. She wrote two words for a few minutes, going over them again and again with the rock until they were totally engrained in the metal.

Then she sliced her finger on the rock and smeared a bit of the blood over the carved words to make them show more. Then, she carefully folded the cloth.

She walked back towards the village, carrying the headband in front of her. She walked into the Hyuga Clan's part of town.

Neji had just gotten home, still shocked at how fast things had happened. A scratching came from just outside his room. He immediately stood up.

The scratching stopped at his movement and whoever it was fled. He walked to the door and pulled it open.

There sat a Konoha forehead protector, neatly folded. Engraved in it were two words, outlined in blood.

_I'm sorry…_


	12. Chapter 12

Takani walked the street in the Hyuga part of town that Neji lived in, holding her forehead protector. Her mind was blank, clear, and her face held no emotion. She wasn't feeling anything, either.

She stopped in front of Neji's house and walked inside. The house was large and had high ceilings, but she didn't stop to look at anything. She walked through the side hallway slowly, not making any noise.

Takani stopped in front of Neji's room. He was inside. She crouched down in front of the door and placed the forehead protector at her feet. Then she scratched her nails down the doorframe and ran off.

She ran out of Neji's house and down the street, the emotions starting to come out at her. Sadness, pain, fear, regret, loss…it was all there. Tears came again on her red eyes. They fell without sobs, just pouring down her face without remorse. She wiped them away with her hand. She felt tired and sad, but still so empty.

She stopped at the forest. Should she go in and leave everyone, or stay and try to work things out? She closed her eyes and squeezed them, sucking in a shaky breath. Her entire body felt heavy.

The Uchihas were all dead. Not one was alive. None except for Sasuke. Sasuke was her only relative, and he didn't know that she existed. Her mother was dead. It had been a massacre. All these thoughts flooded Takani's mind. She'd never see any of them again. Never. And she didn't have a teacher either. She'd never become a Chunin, and she'd never see her family again.

Takani gasped out a sob. More followed. She stood at the edge of the forest, crying. Never. That was the word that bounced around her head. Never was such a strong word.

She pulled a kunai out of her pouch and looked at it. Was this small bit of metal what had assisted in the murder of her entire clan? She took the blade and touched it to her skin, pushing it slowly into her arm. Then Takani sliced along the back of her wrist. She ignored the pain. Was this what it must have felt like when a kunai hit you by surprise, then more came and you were dead?

She raised the kunai high, blade down. She sucked in a breath. Suicide. Such a stupid word. She wasn't going to die, she just wanted pain. Anything to stop the sadness.

A hand caught her arm just as it was about to plunge the knife into her stomach. Takani's wet eyes widened, and she slowly turned. Kakashi Hatake stood there, staring at her. He was so tall compared to her, but when he saw the tears in her eyes he sighed.

"Let me have this," he said, taking the knife from her hand. He flung it into the woods, where it sank into a tree trunk a hundred yards away. Then he let go of her wrist. She slowly let it drop, still staring at Kakashi.

Then it slowly started to sink in. She had almost killed herself. How stupid could she have been, to think that shoving a kunai into her gut would only hurt her? She was five. It would kill her without doubt. She had almost died.

"You're Takani, right? The one that doesn't speak? Why were you out here?"

Takani looked down. "I was just walking." It was the most pathetic excuse ever.

Kakashi pulled Takani's head up with his finger under her chin. Her eyes were still shining, and she struggled to stop her tears. She closed her eyes, focusing chakra to her hands. Maybe doing something else with her thoughts would stop the crying.

"It doesn't help and just wastes your chakra. Why are you crying?"

"They're all dead. All of them except for Sasuke. He's the only one left."

Kakashi's eyes widened. "The Uchihas? That was five years ago."

"But they're dead. My family is dead."

Kakashi looked surprised for a second, but then he got a sympathetic look on his face. "I know how that feels," he said. "What do you mean when you say that they were your family?"

Takani closed her eyes, sending chakra to them. The sharingan came so easily to her today. It was like it was right there for her to use on a whim, as much as she needed. It required no effort.

"Sharingan!" she called weakly, staring at Kakashi. He looked at her in shock before a small smile began to form on his face.

"You're an Uchiha. You and Sasuke are the last Uchihas. How old are you, again?"

"Five," Takani said, her tears starting again. She sucked in a breath, trying to steady herself.

"How old were you when you awakened the sharingan? Do you remember?"

"I've always had it. For as long as I can remember, I've been using it. For everything."

Kakashi got a look of dawning on his face. "Do you think it could have happened when you were a baby? During the…Uchiha massacre?"

Takani flinched. The wound was still open and bleeding. "I don't know," she said, trying to control her voice.

"That would be impossible, though, right? You couldn't have fought if you were still less than six months old. Has anything happened since then?"

Takani shook her head. "I fell down a ravine when I was three, but it was shallow and I have memories of using the sharingan before then."

"Interesting…" Kakashi said. "We should be getting home now. Where do you live?"

Takani faltered, looking down. "I…don't really live anywhere. I find a new place every night. For the past few nights I've been sleeping with Neji Hyuga's family. He and I are…were friends. You'd be surprised how nice people can be to a five year old girl."

Kakashi smiled, taking Takani's hand. "After Kiyoshi died, I'm assuming you have no teacher, either. That makes things more difficult."

Takani nodded. Suddenly, footsteps came pounding down the street they were next to.

"Takani-chan!" a voice yelled.

Tenten came running up, out of breath. She stopped in front of Takani and picked her up in a hug. Takani was confused. Didn't Tenten…not like her? Why did she seem so happy to see her?

"Neji called us all together to find you! He got your message and he thought…but you're alive!" She turned to Kakashi and smiled.

"Hello, Tenten," Kakashi said, smiling.

"Oh, hi, Kakashi-sensei," Tenten said, looking flustered.

"Tenten! Have you found Takani?" another voice asked, running towards them. He stopped when he got to them and smiled.

It was Rock Lee, wearing pajamas. It was hilarious. Here was the taijutsu master, wearing soft cotton nightclothes.

"I am so glad you found her, Kakashi-sensei!" he said happily. "Neji was so worried."

"Speak of the devil…" Kakashi said, as Neji walked up. He had a look of utter joy on his face.

"Takani…thank goodness. I thought…" he trailed off.

Takani looked down. Neji crouched down in front of her and held out her forehead protector. The scratches were gone.

"How did—" she broke off. Neji smiled lightly.

"It's amazing what you can do with a sander," he said, handing her the shiny headband.

She looked up at the ribbon on her forehead, and sighed. The memory of what had happened just minutes before was still weighing heavily on her. She took her forehead protector and stared at it. Then, she tied it around her waist.

Neji nodded in approval. Then, he stood up and started to talk to Kakashi. Takani didn't pay any attention. She already knew what they were going to say.

Takani stared off into the woods, still horrified at what she had almost done. She owed her life to Kakashi-sensei. If he hadn't been there…

"Takani, I think we can arrange a place for you to stay," Kakashi said, smiling. "Granted, he won't like it at first, but with a little money I think he'll warm up to the idea…"


	13. Chapter 13

"She's going to _what?_"

Sasuke Uchiha looked at Kakashi in horror. Kakashi held out a little pocketbook.

"How about for a bit of money, hmm?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. Never. You can't bribe me like that."

Kakashi sighed. Then he slapped the money on the table. "She's not old enough to live on her own. She just needs this for a few days. We'll pay for her."

"Why can't she stay with Naruto? Sakura has a family, let her stay there!"

Kakashi smiled. "Sorry, I don't think you have much say in the matter. She _is _family, and she's been dying to meet you."

Sasuke stopped. Family? That was impossible. He had seen his family being killed. There were no more Uchihas besides him and Itachi. Kakashi was lying.

"That isn't going to work on me. I can see right through all of your stupid tricks, Kakashi-sensei."

"But I have her right here, and she's very excited."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed. Takani peered out from behind Kakashi. She had her hair covering part of her face, and she was holding a tiny bag. The entire image was utterly adorable.

"Sasuke?" she asked, giving him a smile. Sasuke's eyes widened, and he gulped down a breath.

_So…cute…must…resist…_he thought, biting his lip. Takani took a step forward. She was more than a foot shorter than he was, and she was so slight.

He sighed. "Three days, okay? That's all. She's still not an Uchiha, though."

"Yes I am," Takani said, smiling.

Sasuke didn't answer. He just walked her inside and closed the door. Kakashi looked wistful as he turned and walked down the hallway.

"That went better than I expected," he said to himself, "And Takani pulled off the cute act rather well."

He then opened his book and walked away.

**(A/N: Sorry this one is so short, I just needed filler. K then.)**


	14. Chapter 14

**(A/N: To make up for the last chapter, this one is really long XD)**

"Why don't you believe me, Sasuke?" Takani asked over a bowl of cereal the next morning.

"About what?" Sasuke said, chewing. The words came out garbled.

"That I'm an Uchiha?"

Sasuke sighed. "This again? You can stop the act now. Just because your parents are dead doesn't mean that you're an Uchiha automatically. Lots of people die."

"Is there any way to tell for sure if someone's an Uchiha?"

"There's the black hair, which lots of people have, dark eyes, also common, there's an affinity for fire, the sharingan…lots of things."

"I have black hair, my eyes are dark blue, I have a lot of fire jutsu and I have the sharingan."

Sasuke choked on his cereal. He looked at Takani for a moment before starting to laugh. At first it started out as a chuckle, but then it escalated and he was on the floor cackling.

"You? The sharingan? I bet. I don't even have the sharingan. How could you, a little runt, have it when I don't?"

"You want to see it?"

"I don't like cheap tricks," Sasuke said, getting back in his chair and returning to eating.

"It's not a trick."

"Well, show away."

Takani closed her eyes and squeezed them, pushing chakra up into them. They felt suddenly strong, the same as it always felt when she used the sharingan.

She opened her eyes and stared at Sasuke, who looked at her skeptically. "They say the sharingan can catch any little movement, so if you're faking I'll know."

He waited for a second, then flung a wild punch in her direction. Takani ducked before he even swung, then shot up to catch his arm and bend back his elbow. He stood up to avoid cracking his arm and looked at her in surprise.

"That was too obvious," he said, jerking his arm back. "But I don't think you'd be able to catch it if I were to surprise you."

Takani rolled her eyes and went back to eating her cereal. She didn't deactivate the sharingan, however. If he was going to try to catch her by surprise, she had to be ready.

The finished eating, and Sasuke grabbed his weapons pouch off the wall. Then he picked up his forehead protector and tied it around his head.

Takani stood up and carried their dishes to the sink. She then walked over to her bag and got her own pouch of weapons and forehead protector.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sasuke asked, looking at her in contempt. She smiled widely.

"Kakashi-sensei says that I'll start training with you guys because of my sharingan," she said. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"So you have him believing that, too? I always knew he wasn't as sharp as he used to be."

Takani opened the door and walked out, leaving Sasuke. He snorted and followed her.

The walked through Konoha until they got to their usual meeting place—the bridge. It was early spring so the flowers on the trees were bright. They fluttered down and covered everything in white, pink and orange. They even floated down the river, lazily drifting with the currents.

When they got to the meeting place, Naruto and Sakura were already standing there. They were on opposite sides of the bridge, staring into the water. As Sasuke and Takani got closer, Sakura looked up and smiled.

"Sasuke, it isn't like you to be late. Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet, though, so it's okay."

Naruto looked around and gave Sasuke a look. "If I was late, Sakura, you'd be all over it, even if Kakashi-sensei wasn't there! You always treat Sasuke like he's better."

Sakura turned around and scowled at Naruto. "Maybe if you weren't such a pig, I'd like you better!"

"Shut up, you two," Sasuke said, bored. Sakura looked at him, a dreamy look on her face. Takani held back a gag.

"Who's the kid?" Naruto asked.

"I'm Takani, Sasuke's cousin," Takani said, smiling. Sasuke looked down at her in horror, but it was too late.

"I didn't know you had a cousin," Naruto said, scratching his head. Sakura's eyes went wide.

"She's so CUTE!" Sakura screamed, running towards Takani. The 5 year old had just enough time to cover her face before Sakura tackled her in a hug.

"And how old are you, Takani?" she asked.

"Five. You're Sakura Haruno, right?"

"Yes! Did Sasuke tell you that? How much does he talk about me? What does he say? Is it good?"

"No, he didn't tell me," Takani said. "I knew it already."

Sakura smiled and led Takani by the hand up to the bridge. "Are you going to be watching us train today?"

Takani shook her head, looking around. The bridge was beautiful this time of year. Sakura smiled and patted Takani on the head. It was strange, how much she seemed to like the child. Maybe the cuteness of a five year old could take you more places than expected, if it made you new friends this quickly.

"Do you want to be a ninja when you grow up?" Sakura said with a big smile, crouching down to Takani's height. Takani nodded vigorously.

"I'll be the best one," Takani said, trying to sound as cute as possible.

Sakura giggled. "That was adorable!" she squeaked.

Naruto turned. "I feel like I've seen you before," he said, looking up in thought.

"I've seen you all before, too," Takani said, smiling.

"That's odd. Oh, well. So, are you going to start at the Ninja Academy soon? It's really a lot of fun there. I bet it seems scary at first, but you'll get used to it. Are you excited?"

Sakura's constant floods of questions made Takani laugh. She nodded, because she was excited. Just not to go to the Academy…but this game was fun and she wanted to keep all of Team 7 confused for as long as possible.

"All you have to do is work hard and do your best and you should be out of there in no time. You should make a lot of friends, too."

"I'll keep that in mind," Takani said.

Naruto walked over, still in deep thought. He looked at Takani, examining her face carefully. Then he stood up and snapped his fingers.

"I have seen you before, I just can't remember where, let's see…" he walked off again, thinking.

"Kakashi-sensei's going to be here any minute. Are you going to watch? Sasuke's the best. Better than me or Naruto. We could all learn from him."

Takani gave Sakura a nod, but inside her soul was dying from laughing. The best, huh? Sakura was so clueless. Then again, how could Takani expect her to believe that a little girl was better than her idol? In everybody's mind, Sasuke was the best ever, the strongest, the hardest working, the most good-looking. It was all about looks anyway. Skill didn't seem to matter anymore.

"Sorry I'm late, I was just walking," he said, winking at Takani. She looked down to avoid his gaze.

"Kakashi-sensei, why is she here?" Naruto asked. "I know I've seen her before, but I can't think of where!"

"She's going to train with us for a few days. And I should hope you recognize her. You graduated from the Academy the same year, after all."

Sakura went pale, then she flushed red. She looked down and then quickly coughed.

"I know you'll all be sad, but we don't have a mission today."

Everyone cheered, including Sasuke. Takani watched in amusement.

"So, instead of a mission, we're going to practice jutsu!"

The cheering stopped mid-yell and everyone groaned. Takani didn't move.

"Naruto, you need to practice your clones. They have to stop looking like dying animals. Sasuke, you go and make sure Naruto doesn't kill anyone. Sakura, I'd like you to work on some more complex transformations. That means you go from one transformation to another. Takani, I need to work with you one on one."

Everyone nodded, however grudgingly, and went to do what Kakashi had told them to. Takani didn't move. She waited for Kakashi to come to her. She had kept her sharingan activated, so her eyes glowed red.

A movement came from her right, and a hand came around to punch her in the face. It moved fast, almost too fast for her sharingan to catch, but she moved at the last second and caught the arm. Then she leaped forward, causing whoever it was to swing back. She let go of the arm and the person went flying.

They caught themselves, and stood up. It was Kakashi-sensei, and he was smiling. "You used that well, even though I was going just a bit faster than you could catch. You reacted well to a surprise attack, too."

Takani smiled, still on guard. Kakashi looked at her eyes for a second, before his eyes got wide and he had to catch himself.

"Two tomoe…already?" he said in disbelief.

The two marks in each of Takani's sharingan eyes glimmered. Kakashi regained his balance.

"How often do you use the sharingan?" he asked.

"Almost every day. I practiced after school for hours, every day, so I think I'm pretty good."

Kakashi whistled.

"I've also used that time to develop a few personal jutsu. Some of them are for more practical uses, but I have two major battle-oriented ones."

Kakashi looked expectantly at Takani. "Well, show me."

Takani closed her eyes and placed her fingers together in three rapid hand seals. Then she cried, "Golden Arrow jutsu!"

Instantly, her hands flew apart and faced toward Kakashi. He looked around, watching gold arrows form in the air. They all pointed in his direction. Then they shot towards him.

He jumped out of the way, and all the arrows shot into the spot where he had been standing. Takani snapped her fingers, and they disappeared.

"Impressive. Are they illusions?" he asked.

"Yes. If you had stayed in the same spot, they would have gone right through you. It's an effective deterrent if you don't want to fight. If you were anybody else, you'd probably be at least a bit worried if twenty golden arrows all flew at you."

Kakashi-sensei nodded. "And the other jutsu?"

Takani smiled. "I'll need a tree."

"I think we can arrange for that," Kakashi said, looking into the forest.

Takani walked calmly off the bridge and onto the grass. Then, she slipped off her shoes and tossed them to the side. She sucked in a deep breath, then put her hands into another hand seal.

"Fire style, Finger Flame jutsu!" she yelled, and chakra started to form at her fingers. She only used one hand this time. She felt the immense power coursing through her hand.

"I can make this one as strong or weak as my chakra will allow," she said, smiling. Kakashi looked on, interested.

Suddenly, the chakra at her fingertips burst into flame. She held the ball of fire and aimed it at the tree. Then, she spread her fingers wide and the flaming chakra shot out.

It hit the tree, destroying it completely. Even the roots had been pulled up, and the entire thing was gone. A few bits of the tree burned in the air, but the fire was extinguished the moment they hit the ground. It was as though the tree had never been there.

Kakashi stared in awe at Takani, who was once again gathering chakra. This time, it was just a tiny bit. It flamed lightly on her finger, and she carefully aimed and shot at another tree.

"I can aim so precisely that this will only take off one leaf," she said, watching the flame fly into the tree. All that could be seen was a tiny puff of smoke. A few tiny ashes fell.

"You created that yourself?" Kakashi asked, still looking at the tiny girl in wonder. She nodded, smiling.

"What was that?" Naruto's voice called as he ran up to Kakashi and Takani.

"That was a special jutsu of Takani's," Kakashi-sensei said, smiling. "You could learn from her, Naruto."

"A little kid? I don't think so. You have to be going crazy, Kakashi-sensei!"

Takani just rolled her eyes. She'd show them all someday. She just had to be patient.

A bit of air rushed behind Takani. It was a shuriken, and it was headed straight for her. No one but her heard or saw it.

Without turning, she stepped to the side and caught it mid-spin. Then, she threw it back to the sender.

"You'll have to do better than that, Sasuke!" she called. Sasuke swore under his breath and walked away. Takani just smiled.


	15. Chapter 15

Takani walked through town, bored. The rest of Team 7 was going on a mission, but since she wasn't really a part of it she couldn't go. It frustrated her how she didn't have a normal team. There was just no one available.

"Hey!"

Takani whipped around in surprise. A little boy about her age was standing in the middle of the street, waving. She smiled and waved back.

"You wanna come play with me?" he asked, running up to her.

"What do you want to play?" Takani asked, amused.

"How about we pretend that we're ninjas?" the boy said, smiling.

"Sure. What's your name?"

"I'm Yuu. What's yours?"

"Takani."

Yuu smiled wider. "I'm going to go to the Ninja Academy next year! My dad thinks I'm ready!"

Takani smiled. "Do you know any jutsu yet?"

Yuu shook his head. "But I know the names of a lot of 'em! Can you do any?"

"A few."

Yuu's eyes widened. "So we can really play ninja! You can be the enemy ninja who tries to take over the village. I wanna play the hero. 'Kay?"

"Sure," Takani said, grinning at him. _I need to keep things safe. I can't do anything dangerous with him. He's just a kid._

As Yuu ran over to get his older brother's old Genin forehead protector, Takani started to daydream. She mostly thought of her battle with Kiyoshi just weeks before. Here she was, telling herself to go easy on Yuu, when she'd been in battle before. Yuu was probably the same age as she was, but she'd done so much more. It was funny, how she didn't consider herself a child. The world was a bit screwed up.

Yuu returned, tying an old headband around his forehead. "My big brother wanted to keep this when he turned into a Jonin. Then he gave it to me. Where'd you get yours?"

Takani froze. This wasn't good. Now she had to think of an explanation as to how she got her forehead protector. If she told him the truth, she'd give herself away as a ninja. Yuu might not want to play with a ninja, or maybe he'd get mad that she was his age but already a Genin. He'd think that it was unfair and then complain and she'd have a huge mess on her hands. If she lied, though, she'd have to keep a straight story. What if he started to ask questions? What if he got suspicious? She couldn't afford to be on his bad side. He was the only person her age she knew! Maybe she could mix truth and a lie. She wouldn't technically be lying then, would she? So many questions bounced through her head.

"Erm…well…I got it from Iruka-sensei at the Academy," she said, bracing herself for the first question.

"Okay then! Let's play!"

Yuu started to talk, setting the scene for their game. Takani was stupefied. How could he just let her explanation go like that? He seemed to be perfectly content with the simple and info-deprived answer he got. Were all kids like this? Was she the strange one?

"You ready? Okay. I'm gonna be my big brother. You're gonna be an evil ninja and attack the village. Okay?"

Takani nodded. "You see me coming over the wall."

She jumped up effortlessly onto the roof of a closed fruit stand nearby. Yuu stared in awe for a second.

"You can jump really good," he said slowly.

"Whatever," Takani said, "So you see me coming and have to stop me!"

Yuu immediately changed into game mode. "Who are you? What are you doing in the Leaf Village?" He put out his hand, gesturing for Takani to stop.

"You don't need to know who I am!" Takani cried, jumping off the stand and landing at Yuu's feet. "The more important thing is, who are you to stop me?"

"I'm Kiyoshi Yamada, of the Hidden Leaf Village! I command you to leave!"

Takani's eyes went wide. Kiyoshi? He was Yuu's older brother? Takani staggered back in shock. Yuu smiled.

"Are you afraid?" he taunted.

"K-kiyoshi?" she stuttered.

"Yes! Fear me!"

Kiyoshi was dead. Yet Yuu was so happy and innocent. How? What would he do if he knew that he was playing with the person who had weakened his brother enough to be killed?

"Are you okay?" Yuu asked, peering over at Takani.

"Yeah…fine…"

"Good. Now, leave my village or fight!"

"Never," Takani said, trying to put enthusiasm into it.

"Shadow puppet jutsu!" Yuu cried, putting his hands together in a sloppy hand sign. Then he started making whooshing noises as he imagined the shadow darting around from place to place.

Takani flipped back as though she was dodging the attack. Then she watched where Yuu's hands went and responded as though that was really where the shadow was.

"You're too fast!" she said, falling backwards. Yuu laughed and made the whooshing noise again. Takani pretended that she had been hit.

"You win this time, Yamada-san, but I promise you that next time you'll get what you deserve!" Takani then leaped up onto the fruit stand again and smiled evilly.

"Yuu! Time for your nap!"

Yuu spun around to see his mother standing in the doorway of their house. She had her hands on her hips.

"Okay. Nice game huh?" he asked, turning to Takani. She nodded and jumped off the stand.

"Who's your friend?" Yuu's mother asked.

"This is Takani. She was playing ninja with me."

"You were…Kiyoshi's student?"

Takani sighed, then nodded. Yuu's mother looked down.

"It was a shock for you too, then? When he…"

"Yes. He was very skilled. I don't think anyone saw it coming," Takani said sadly.

Yuu's mother smiled. "Thank you. Come on, Yuu-kun."

Yuu ran to his mother and they walked inside. Takani stood outside for a while, for some reason wondering what it would be like to take daily naps.

There wasn't much time for napping when you were a shinobi.


	16. Chapter 16

"How'd the mission go, Sasuke-kun?"

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, okay. But what happened?"

Sasuke sighed. "If I hadn't nearly died, it would have gone a lot better."

Takani raised her eyebrows. This was going to be interesting.

"I got shot up with these needles, covered in poison. Who cares, anyway? I didn't actually die."

"But were you successful? On the mission, I mean?"

"Yeah, we got rid of these goons trying to take over this little village. Everyone said that it was a D-rank mission, but I have the sneaking suspicion that it was more like an A or S-rank. Seriously. We fought one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist? They were all supposed to be extremely powerful, and three new Genin and one Jonin managed to defeat one?

"I awakened my sharingan, too."

Takani's eyes widened. "Really? Is Kakashi-sensei going to have you train with me?"

Sasuke smirked. "Why would he do that? He's probably going to have me train alone, to prepare for the Chunin exams. They're coming up soon, and I need to become a Chunin as soon as possible."

"Lucky you got your sharingan now, huh? You'd do fine without it, but now it gives you an extra edge."

Sasuke smiled. "You're getting more likable every day."

Takani sighed. Sasuke was thick-headed sometimes.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Takani groaned as Sakura came running. During their entire conversation, she and Sasuke had been walking to their first day of training since the big mission in the Land of Waves. After some peace, seeing Sakura go crazy over Sasuke was annoying.

"Kakashi-sensei's late, again. It's like he can't be on time or he'll die," Naruto said angrily.

"Be careful what you say, Naruto," Takani said, smirking.

"Why should I?"

"Turn around."

Naruto's eyes went wide as he turned to see Kakashi standing behind him. He yelped and jumped out of the way. Kakashi just smiled and walked forward.

"Thank you, Takani. Next time, however, can you wait till Naruto says something really stupid before telling him I'm here?"

Takani nodded and smiled.

"Okay. To change the subject, we'll be doing a little test of skills today. Seeing as there are four of us, we'll have an even battle. We're going to have a little scrimmage today, two on two. Seeing as Sasuke has his sharingan now, I'll make sure that each team only has one kekkei genkai."

Takani and Sasuke looked at each other. They would have to fight each other, no matter what.

"This'll be easy," Naruto said, rubbing his hands together.

Kakashi ignored him. "Okay…I'll make this more interesting. Boys versus Girls. Naruto and Sasuke, you'll fight together against Sakura and Takani. Losers have an extra hour of training tomorrow. I'll give you each a few moments to think out a minor strategy."

Naruto groaned. "Why do I have to be on the same team as Sasuke?"

"Because I said so."

Naruto rolled his eyes and started to talk with Sasuke. He didn't seem the least bit enthused.

Sakura smiled and turned to Takani. "I can't believe I got partnered with you! This'll be great!"

Takani sighed. "Okay. What's your best jutsu?"

Sakura looked up in thought. "I'm not really excellent at any jutsu in particular…I know a lot of them, though."

"Can you provide a diversion?"

Sakura nodded. "What kind?"

"I need you to throw a few kunai and shuriken to attract their attentions. You can jump above them, into a tree. You can't let them see you, though. Jump in one direction, but then double back to another point. I'll go to another point in the trees and set a paper bomb at the base of a tree branch. After that, all we have to do is lure them to the tree and finish them off there." Takani stopped. She was using an idea she had gotten from Kiyoshi now. For a moment she was hit with a wave of nostalgia, but she shook her head and brought herself back to the current situation.

"Naruto's probably going to use his shadow clones. It's the only jutsu he seems to know," Sakura said.

"I'll take care of his shadow clones. I just need you to lure the real Naruto and Sasuke to the tree," Takani said, pulling a kunai out from her bag. She then took another paper bomb and wrapped it around the handle.

"Here," she said, handing the kunai to Sakura. "If you don't think you'll be able to get them to the tree, throw this about twenty feet to their left. When I see the explosion, I'll leave whatever I'm doing to help you. This should all be a snap."

Sakura nodded. "Which tree will you put the paper bomb on?"

Takani looked to her right at the forest. "That one," she said, pointing to a tree with a branch about ten feet above the ground. Sakura nodded again and put the kunai with the bomb in the small pouch on her leg.

"Is everybody ready?" Kakashi asked, looking at both teams. Everyone nodded. "Okay then…begin!"

Takani immediately jumped into the trees just opposite Sakura. She then headed directly for the tree they had designated.

"Shadow Clone jutsu!" Naruto cried. Takani smirked. He was so predictable.

She took the paper bomb and slapped it onto the top of the branch as she darted past. She then started back towards Naruto and his clones. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

Takani quickly sent chakra into her fingers. It made them glow slightly blue. She forced more, and it burst into flames. Each little flame glowed on each of her fingertips. As she dashed through the trees, she let more chakra extend to her eyes. She blinked once, and the world came into instant focus. Not a bug moved without her knowing.

She came past the edged of the trees and saw Naruto's clones. As she focused on each one, she saw that the real Naruto wasn't there. She sent a burst of flaming chakra towards the center of the clones, making half of them burst into smoke.

Takani landed and pulled a kunai out of her pouch. She then slid it down her sleeve and into the tiny pocket on the inside. The clones came barreling towards her, but she paid them little attention. Instead, she scanned the woods around her for the real Naruto, or maybe Sasuke. Neither appeared.

As the clones came towards her, she whirled around. They came in a mob, about ten or fifteen of them. As they jumped onto her, she held up her arm to block the main attacks.

The Naruto clones covered her. Sakura watched from the trees as the tiny girl was surrounded by kicking, punching Naruto shadow clones.

"No!" Sakura cried, jumping down from the trees to save Takani. She hurled a handful of kunai at the clones. The kunai slashed through all but a few, and Sakura rushed forward to see if Takani was alive.

"You idiot!" a voice called over the trees. Sakura whirled around to see Takani standing on a branch, a furious look on her face.

Sakura turned towards where the clones had covered the five-year-old a moment before. All that stood in her place was a log, smashed by the clones. Her eyes went wide.

A gust of wind whirled behind her. "Hello, Sakura."

"S-sasuke?"

Sakura turned around to see Sasuke standing behind her, a grin on his face. He was holding a kunai to her gut.

"This wasn't in the plan, Sasuke!" Naruto called from the trees.

"Shut up, loser!"

Sakura stared at Sasuke in shock. She had ruined the plan that Takani had laid out for her. Now she was in trouble. She had to do something, but what?

"Wait."

Sakura looked at Sasuke in surprise. "What?"

"I said, wait. Don't do anything stupid. I've already wasted enough chakra on you're mistake," he whispered. "Don't move."

Suddenly, Sasuke whipped around to face the tree that Naruto was standing in, throwing a shuriken as he turned. It soared perfectly, slicing off the branch that held Naruto.

"What's the big idea?" Naruto yelled, landing in front of the tree.

Sasuke smiled, then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Standing in his place was Takani.

"Sorry, Naruto," she said, "But I'm not on your team. Sakura, go!"

Sakura shook her head to clear the shock and jumped into the trees. Takani stayed behind and faced Naruto. The extra transformation had used up more chakra than she had planned. All that Naruto had done was make clones.

The two remaining clones dashed to the real Naruto's side. He glared at Takani. "I'll get you now!" he cried, throwing a shuriken at the small girl.

Takani dodged the blade and threw one of her own. It lodged in the ground a few feet away from Naruto. He smirked. "Are you even trying to hit me?"

"No, I'm really just giving Sakura time to fight Sasuke. He's too weak to fight anyone but her, so she'll only need a little bit of time. This is all in the plan," Takani said, grinning.

"What?!"

Takani smiled. Genin were so predictable.

Sasuke came barreling out of the woods, kunai in hand. He jumped and flew over Takani's head, throwing the knife as he passed. Takani jumped to the side, catching the kunai on her finger and throwing it towards Naruto.

Sasuke landed in front of her and let loose a punch. Takani just barely dodged it. Another kunai immediately flew towards her. Sasuke was mad.

"I'm not weak!" he screamed, punching at her again.

She caught his fist and sent a punch of her own. He shook off her hand and blocked her hit. His eyes were flaring.

"You can't get anything past my sharingan. Don't even try."

Takani shook the shuriken out of her sleeve and into her hand, concealing it with her fingers. Sasuke might be mad enough to miss it if she were to make a subtle attack. Then again, she knew how powerful even an undeveloped sharingan could be.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," she said, holding the kunai to his neck in one swift movement. He snarled and knocked her hand out of the way, slicing into his shoulder in the process. He stepped back, holding his shoulder. Blood spattered the ground.

"Sorry for what?"

"For using tactics like that in a scrimmage. You aren't weak, I just said that to lure you out in the open."

Sasuke's eyes went wide. "What?"

Takani looked down. Suddenly, a sound came from her left. Without thinking she snatched a shuriken and flung it in the direction of the sound. There was a yelp. The shuriken had grazed Naruto's leg.

Takani jumped into the air and aimed a kick for Naruto. One less opponent was always good. Sasuke didn't move. He had a blank look on his face.

The kick connected with Naruto's chest, but since she was so small it only knocked him over. He swung at her and his clones joined. She dodged the real Naruto's hit, but wasn't able to time her next move fast enough. A Naruto clone punched her in the stomach and she flew backwards. She lay on the ground for a moment, planning her next move. She didn't have much time. Naruto came at her with a punch that missed her head by inches. Takani got to her feet. Sasuke was gone.

"Help!"

Sakura's cry rang over the forest. There was a small explosion in the deeper woods. Takani pushed Naruto out of the way and started towards the explosion. If Sakura managed to follow directions, Sasuke would have been twenty feet to the right of the bomb when she threw it.

Takani silently leaped into a tree and scanned the area. A few leaves rustled to her right. She quietly moved towards them.

Sasuke was holding Sakura at the end of a kunai, the blade stopping only inches from her nose. He had a furious look on his face, and with his other hand he clutched the shoulder that had been cut by Takani's kunai earlier. Sakura looked as though she was about to cry.

"Help!" Sakura yelped again, her eyes darting from side to side. Takani rolled her eyes and was about to throw a kunai at Sasuke when Sakura yelled again.

"I give up!"

Takani's eyes widened in shock at the words. The world seemed to go in slow motion as Kakashi appeared on a nearby branch. He looked at Sakura, then Sasuke, and then to Takani, seemingly able to see her in the cover of tree leaves.

"Sakura, are you sure?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes!"

"Well then," Kakashi said, sighing. "Naruto and Sasuke win by default."

Sasuke grumbled and lowered his kunai. He threw it to the ground, and it buried itself in the dirt. Takani didn't move. It was over, and all that Sakura had done was say three words. The coward. The idiot.

Naruto came bursting through the trees. "We won?"

Kakashi nodded. Sakura watched as Takani jumped out of the leaves and onto her branch. The five-year-old turned to look at Sakura for a moment, then coldly turned and left.

The Genin all met back at their usual meeting spot. Sasuke was trying to ignore Naruto, who was absolutely ecstatic that he had aided in the winning of a fight. Sakura was constantly trying to apologize to Takani, who wasn't speaking.

Kakashi spoke to the four for a moment about their fighting, but the look on Takani's face stopped him from going into too much depth. She hadn't done anything wrong. It was Sakura who had forfeited.

"So, before you all go home, we have one more thing to discuss. The Chunin Exams."

Everybody nodded, except for Takani, who stared off into the forest.

"The Exams are in a few weeks. Now, we all have to decide whether or not you all feel like you're ready."

Sasuke looked at Takani, knowing they were both thinking the same thing. Of course they were ready. They had been _born _ready. The exams were the next step on the road to becoming better ninjas, and Sasuke's chance to excel past his brother.

"Takani…there's one difficulty."

Takani looked up at Kakashi, her eyes sharp and attentive. A difficulty?

"The Exams only allow up to three man squads, no more. If you were to become a Chunin, you'd have to do it alone."

Takani nodded. Alone. Three stages, without the help of a team. She almost smiled. Alone was how she liked to do things.


	17. Chapter 17

"You aren't going to compete."

Takani stared at Kakashi in horror. He had a solemn look on his face.

"What? I've been training for this!"

"I've considered your options. First of all, you don't have a team. Everyone else will be in a team of three. Second of all, every single other competitor is at least six years older than you are," Kakashi said, sighing.

"What does that matter? I can take them!"

Kakashi shook his head. "Your chances of succeeding are next to none. You could die. It's not an uncommon occurrence. Competitors die all the time."

"But I won't," Takani insisted, glaring at Kakashi.

"You aren't going."

"Sensei!" the five-year-old whined.

"It's final! The chances are too great."

Takani shook her head. "You don't have that authority over me."

Kakashi gritted his teeth. "I'm older, and I can make you stay here."

"If you really care that much, try."

"You're impossible!" Kakashi said, slapping his forehead with his hand. He got up from the crouch he was in and walked a few steps away.

"You really can't stop me from going. This is the most important event of the year. Of my life!"

"Exactly! That's why I don't want you to lose said life! There's only a five percent chance that you _might _get past the first stage, let alone the other two."

"That's a pretty good chance."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "I don't want to have to go to extremes. Just wait another year or so and then you can compete. But you'll have to face the fact that you're only five. You may be mentally older, but you were a toddler not too long ago. You don't have the strength to compete against Genin who have been training for years."

"I'm going," Takani said, leaping up and onto the railing of the platform that she and Kakashi were on. She waved to him as she started to leap off.

Suddenly, something tightened around her ankle. Takani's leg snapped back, and she landed on her stomach on the platform.

Immediately, she whipped around and glared at Kakashi, who was holding a thin wire. The other end was wrapped around her ankle.

With a shake of her arm, a kunai slid down Takani's sleeve and into her hand. She started hacking at the wire, but Kakashi shook his head.

"It's useless. I didn't want to have to resort to restraining you, but if you insist on going to the exams I'll have to."

Takani snarled. "You can't stop me."

"Yes, I can. I know you think very highly of yourself, but there are some things you can't do."

Takani closed her eyes and forced chakra into them. Without looking at Kakashi, Takani activated her sharingan and prepared for a fight. If that's what he wanted, that's what she'd give him. She's show that she was ready for the Chunin exams.

Quietly sending more chakra to her hand, Takani slowly brought the kunai to the wire. She had to have a plan before she did anything.

"Now, are you going to listen to me or are you going to continue digging yourself into a rut?"

"I'm going to the Chunin exams!" Takani said, slashing through the wire with her chakra-enhanced blade. Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise, but a second later he had regained his composure.

"This will only hurt you," Kakashi said, his impatience showing.

"I'm going to compete," Takani whispered, her eyes flaming. Kakashi looked up in exasperation.

"You don't get it. You could _die._ Is that really a chance you want to take?"

Takani nodded. Kakashi didn't understand. Becoming a ninja was her entire goal in life. If she couldn't do that as soon as possible, then she'd…she didn't even know what she'd do.

"I can't let you do that," Kakashi said, shaking his head.

"Too bad!" Takani yelled, turning to leave again.

Kakashi leaped forward and grabbed the five-year-old's arm. She shrugged him off and jumped away.

She turned back. Kakashi was still standing on the platform, watching her leave. He looked upset, but he wasn't following her. So he didn't care that much, after all.

Takani looked ahead, where the Ninja Academy was. A few Genin were starting to enter. So she wasn't late. That was good.

She jumped down to the road leading to the Academy. Most of the competitors had to be inside already. A Chunin stood at the door, arms crossed. He narrowed his eyes as she approached.

"You here for the exams?" he asked, looking at her skeptically. Takani nodded.

He nodded and let her pass. As she entered, she looked back.

Kakashi was crouched on top of a nearby building, watching her. He had a blank look on his face. She turned away and went into the Academy.

Kakashi watched as the five-year-old entered the building. So she had decided to defy his orders and attend the exams. As the door closed behind her, he smiled. She was ready.


	18. Chapter 18

The doors to the main area were a down a long hallway. They loomed over Takani, even though they were very small. Through those doors, she could become a Chunin. A real ninja.

A few others were going through the doors, but they were from other villages. She saw a couple Sand Genin, and a few from the Village Hidden in the Mist. They all looked so old.

Takani tentatively pushed the doors open. Inside, there were hundreds of ninja all sitting on tables and talking. Suddenly she felt small.

Quickly, she scanned the people. Where were the Konoha Genin?

Suddenly, a movement caught her eye. It was a waving hand. She turned to see Sakura waving to her excitedly.

"Taka-chan!" she squealed, dashing over to the five-year-old, who immediately prepared herself for a suffocating hug. Sakura wrapped her arms around her and nearly picked her up.

"I can't believe Kakashi-sensei let you come!" she said, smiling widely. Takani smiled insincerely.

"Yeah. I was surprised, too."

Naruto and Sasuke were over by the wall, talking to Hinata Hyuga and Shino Aburame. Takani hadn't ever really talked to the two, or their teammate, Kiba Inuzuka, but they were Leaf Ninja so they shared a common bond.

Sakura led Takani over to the others by her arm. As they approached, Naruto smiled.

"Hey! I didn't think Kakashi was going to let you in!" he said, scratching his head. Sasuke said nothing.

"H-hi," Hinata said hesitantly, twinkling her fingers at Takani, who waved back.

"Hi, Hinata. How have you been?" Takani asked, trying to strike up a conversation. From what she had heard, Hinata was about as opposite as possible from Takani, being shy and unsure of herself. It would be good to make friends, try to get to know as many of the other competitors as possible.

"Fine," Hinata mumbled, blushing.

"So you're Takani Uchiha, hmm?" Shino said emotionlessly.

Takani nodded, raising her arm up as discreetly as possible. She still had the kunai in her hand from her earlier argument with Kakashi, and she didn't want anyone to see it.

Suddenly, there was a swishing behind Takani. Sakura and Naruto didn't seem to notice, but Hinata and Shino were both watching the space right behind them.

"Boo!" a voice yelled, jumping out from behind Sakura. She cried out in surprise along with Naruto. Takani had been expecting it, so she didn't move.

Kiba was standing next to his teammates, laughing. He had his dog, Akamaru, perched on top of his head.

"Hey, guys!" he said, grinning. He had very sharp canines.

Naruto returned the grin. "Man, you scared Sakura!"

"You were scared too, Naruto," Sakura protested, glaring at him.

Takani ignored the conversation, scanning the rest of the people in the room. Everybody was talking, but it seemed like they were all waiting for something. There was a sense of anticipation in the room.

Suddenly, there was a touch on Takani's shoulder. She whipped around, letting the kunai in her sleeve fall into her hand. There was a Chunin standing there.

"Whoa, calm down. You're Takani Uchiha, right? Can you come with me?"

Takani nodded, taking a deep breath. She lifted her arm to let the kunai slide back into her sleeve. She needed to stop overreacting.

The Chunin had long black hair that covered one of his eyes. The other one was bright green, and sparkled under the lights. On one of his hands, he had a bandage.

"A couple of the Jonin wanted to speak with you. They're right in here."

The Chunin gestured to a door. It was old-looking, but not much different from the rest of the doors in the building. Takani turned the knob and started to enter.

"I'm Yoshihiro, by the way," the Chunin said, smiling a little. Takani smiled back.

Yoshihiro closed the door behind Takani. Inside, there were seven or eight Jonin all around a table. At the head of the table was the Hokage. This was serious.

"Oh, Takani, you're here," Kurenai Yuhi said, smiling. Takani smiled back as she cautiously stepped farther into the room.

"Take a seat," the Hokage said, gesturing to a chair next to him. Takani was confused, but took the seat anyway.

"Okay, you probably know why you're here," Asuma Sarutobi said, taking a cigarette out of his mouth and blowing a bit of smoke. Takani shrugged.

"Well, you may not know it, but you are the first person in the history of the Chunin exams to enter without a team," another Jonin added.

"And, you are the youngest participant as well," the Hokage finished. Takani's eyes widened.

"Is that a problem?" Takani asked, raising her shoulders.

"Well, no, but we will have to make some allowances for your age and for the fact that you are participating alone. This could cause complications."

"We were thinking of giving you…a spotter. Just in case you run into trouble and can't help yourself," Kurenai said.

"What do you mean?"

"You would have a Chunin or Jonin keeping an eye on you, in case you find yourself in a compromising situation."

"So you think I need extra help?"

The Jonin looked surprised. "You don't think you'd like a bit of security?"

Takani bit her lip. "I just don't know if I'd need something like that."

"We're also asking to keep a level of fairness in the exams. It's not exactly an even match if a child as young as you goes up against hundreds of older children _alone._"

"What would the spotter do?"

"If you want we could ask them only to get involved in certain situations. We've never really had to deal with this before, so we're playing it by ear."

Takani thought about it. If she had a spotter, it wouldn't really have any _negative _effects…

"I guess," she said. "As long as they only helped in certain situations. I don't want to feel like I'm getting an easy way out."

There was a small laugh. "I don't think it'll be all that much easier," a Jonin muttered.

"Okay then," the Hokage said, looking at Takani. "We'll assign you a helper. Yoshihiro, can you come in?"

The door creaked open, and Yoshihiro walked in. He looked at the Hokage expectantly, his piercing green eyes cutting deeply into the old man's.

"I have an assignment for you," the Hokage said. Then he turned to Takani. "You may leave."

Takani stood up and started for the door. As she passed Yoshihiro, he smiled.

"You're pretty important, huh?" he asked as she walked out the door.

"I guess," she said, waving. He waved back, then turned his attention to the Jonin in the room.

Takani entered the large room again with a strange feeling in her gut. One look around told her why.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were all crowded around a boy with silver hair who was sprawled out on the floor, his glasses a foot or so from his face, one of the lenses shattered. In front of them were some ninja from another village. On their forehead protector was a music note.

Neji walked up to Takani. He was looking in confusion at the scene.

"What happened?" Takani asked.

"Looks like there was a fight," Neji said, his eyes narrowing. "And those Genin seem to have started it."

Takani sighed. So there was already fighting going on. This would be interesting.


	19. Chapter 19

"The first part of the Chunin exams will be a test."

Takani and all of the other exam participants were sitting in a room with lots of desks. She had taken her position in the back, where she sat when she was in the Academy. There were guards along each wall. They were there to make sure no one cheated.

But wasn't that the point? They were ninja. There would never just be a test. It would have a hidden goal.

Ibiki Morino, a mean looking Jonin, was the curator for the first part of the exams. He had a few Chunin pass out tests face down while he gave a speech about the test being difficult. Takani tuned him out, trying to figure out what the real goal of the test was.

Ibiki talked some more. Takani waited in anticipation for him to begin the test. He was taking forever, and she wanted to be out of here and on her way to the next trial as soon as possible.

"Okay. With that said...you may flip over your tests and begin."

Takani turned over her test with lightning speed and began to read the first question.

_A shuriken has 4 points. One of them is marked in red. If the shuriken is rotating at 5 spins per second, and is traveling at 100 kph, what is the probability that the red point will stick into the oak target 300 meters away?_

Takani's eyes widened. There was no way she'd be able to answer that. The next question was no better.

_What are the names of all three Tsuchikage from the Village Hidden in the Rocks?_

Takani quickly glanced around. Everyone else seemed to be busy writing. Was she the only one who didn't know the answers? She felt her heart start to pound. What if she was stopped right here? What if she failed the test and had to wait to become a Chunin?

She glanced over at Neji, who was writing. He looked up and met her gaze. He must have seen her panicked look, because he gave her a look of acknowledgement. Then he tapped next to his eye.

Takani was confused. What did that mean?

He tapped by his eye again. Then he mimed a hand sign. Did he want her to activate her Sharingan? That had to be it.

"Sharingan," she whispered almost incoherently. The rush of chakra came to her eyes. She closed them for a moment to avoid disorientation, then opened them. The world was in total focus. She saw every movement that everyone made.

She looked back at Neji. He was still looking at her. When he saw the red in her eyes, he smiled a little. Then he mouthed the words "You have to cheat." His mouth barely moved. If she had just been looking at him with normal eyes, she wouldn't have been able to tell that his mouth was moving at all. She nodded.

Neji smiled again and turned back to his test. Takani couldn't see how he was cheating. Then she saw that the veins next to his eyes were full. He was using his Byakugan to copy the answers from someone else.

Now Takani had to find a way to cheat on her own. She looked around for a suitable target. Her eyes fell on Sasuke. He was busy scribbling away...in sync with the person in front of him. He was using his Sharingan, too.

Takani looked around the room. There were many windows on one wall. In them, she saw the reflections of the guards sitting along the room. And...the reflection of someone's test. Someone who had all the answers.

Takani immediately started writing. A rush of excitement filled her. She was going to pass!

Suddenly, one of the Jonin sitting along the wall looked up at her. He wore glasses, so she couldn't see where his eyes were going. It seemed as though he was looking at her.

Takani took one quick look at the person's test again, and then turned back to hers to look as though she was focused only on her test. When she glanced up, the person hadn't stopped looking at her.

In an instant the Jonin was up, kunai in hand. He flung it in Takani's direction. Takani ducked, and the kunai sailed past her. She watched as it hit a mirror that a boy was holding, knocking it out of his hand.

Immediately, Ibiki was there. He looked down at the boy who had been using a mirror to see another person's test.

"We do not allow for cheating here. Leave."

The boy, shaking, stood up and left the room. Ibiki turned to the rest of the Genin.

"As I said, there will be no cheating or you will leave the room. Understood?"

Everyone nodded. Takani's heart was pounding, and the adrenaline was just starting to wear off. She took a deep breath and clenched her fist. She felt a tiny prick.

The kunai that she had concealed in her sleeve had, by instinct, fallen into her hand. She had been prepared to throw it at the Jonin. That would have gotten her kicked out for sure.

Most people were finishing their test. Takani quickly looked back to the person she had been copying from and wrote down the rest of the answers. She checked over what she had written, and it seemed about right.

"Okay, everyone. You got the first nine questions, I'll assume? Is anyone still working?"

Nobody said anything. Takani started to tap her leg with her pencil in anticipation. The _first_ nine? There was more?

"So everybody's ready for the last question."

Everybody nodded. Takani bit her lip. Why couldn't Ibiki just get to the point?

"There is one more question. If you get it right, you will be allowed to go on to the next stage of the Chunin exams. If you get it wrong, however, you will never be able to take the exams again, and you will remain a Genin forever."

There were a few gasps. Takani's heart started pounding. She just wanted him to get to the final question. She wanted to answer it and get on with her life.

"Now that you know that, how many of you are going to leave? This is your last chance."

Takani watched as some of the people left. Their teammates followed, not unwillingly. Takani stayed in her seat, as did many other teams.

"Hmm..." Ibiki said, smiling darkly. "You are all prepared for the final question? None of you wish to leave?"

Suddenly, there came a voice. It was Naruto. "I'm never giving up!"

Takani rolled her eyes, predicting what he was going to say next and mouthing the words.

"I'm never giving up because I'm going to become Hokage some day! I don't care about some stupid test! I'm going to--"

Blah, blah, blah. Takani sighed. Why was Naruto holding everything up? Why couldn't he just sit and get the last question like a normal person?

Ibiki looked at Naruto for a moment before smiling. "You all pass."

Takani stared at Ibiki, speechless. What did he mean? They hadn't even answered the last question? Was this a trick?

"Those who left just now showed that they run away from a challenge. They aren't strong enough to face the unknown. That was the tenth and final question. Facing the unknown without running. That is why all of you pass."

Takani dropped her pencil on her desk, where it rolled off and clattered onto the floor. She deactivated her sharingan and sat back. Everyone was sighing and some were laughing. Takani wished that she hadn't wasted her time. That's all this test had been. A waste of time.

Kakashi stood outside the window, unseen. He watched Takani dropping her pencil. She seemed to be annoyed. He smiled and reached into his pocket for his book.

Using the window as a mirror. It was so simple. Everyone else had struggled to use powerful jutsu to cheat. All Takani had done was look in a window. Genius.


	20. Chapter 20

"Taka-chan!"

Takani braced herself for Sakura's tackle. Half a second later, Takani felt a strong push on her arm. She stumbled to the side just as Sakura flew past her and fell to the ground. Neji looked down at Takani and winked as Sakura got up.

"Who did that?" she demanded, infuriated. Neji pretended not to be listening, and Takani shrugged.

"Okay, everybody! Can I have your attention?"

Anko Mitarashi, the curator for the second part of the Chunin exams, was standing in front of the large group of Genin. They were all talking and socializing amongst themselves.

"CAN I _HAVE_ YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE?"

Everybody was silent. Anko smiled and looked down. She was wearing a fishnet shirt with a yellowish jacket open in front. The jacket seemed to be superglued in the exact position to cover everything that needed to be covered.

"Thank you." She grinned. "Welcome to the second part of the Chunin Exams! I'm Anko Mitarashi, and I'm the curator. That's not babysitter, for all those unsure."

Some people laughed. Takani smiled a little. Anko had a crude sense of humor, but could be funny at times.

"This is probably going to be the end of the road for a few of you. People die. We have the release form over there." She pointed to a table to her right. Some people gave nervous laughs.

"Why are you laughing? I'm not joking. Before we're allowed to send you out there, we need you to sign it."

"Out where?" Someone asked.

Anko chuckled. "The forest."

There were a couple of groans. What would they do in the forest?

"Your team will be given one scroll of a certain color. Your goal is to get a scroll of the other and carry both scrolls to a tower in the center of the forest. The thing is, the only way to get a scroll is to take it from another team. That means that half of you will not go on to the third part of the exams."

Takani narrowed her eyes. She would be trying to retrieve a second scroll from another team by herself. While protecting her own scroll.

"Another thing. You are not allowed to read the scroll until you get to the tower. If you do, you will be disqualified and will not be able to complete the exams. 'Kay?"

Everybody muttered agreement. Neji looked at Takani expressionlessly. She wondered what he was thinking. Probably about how she wouldn't be able to make it through the test.

"Oh my gosh. I hope we have the same color scroll so we don't have to fight!" Sakura said, biting her lip. "Taka-chan, are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine. Just hope you guys make it to the tower in one piece."

Sakura laughed. She didn't realize that Takani was serious.

Neji put his hand on Takani's shoulder. She looked up at him questioningly

"Good luck. If we meet in battle, we won't be able to go easy on you, you know."

Takani nodded. "I'd be offended if you did."

Neji smiled slightly. Tenten came over and led him by the arm to the booth with the release forms, chatting the whole way. Takani watched them leave.

"Takani."

Takani turned to see Sasuke looking at her. He had his hands in his pockets and was trying to look cool.

"What?"

Sasuke looked up, avoiding eye contact with Takani. "Don't get hurt. That wouldn't be good. You are my cousin, I guess. Or at least a close relative. Besides, well…yeah. You're almost the only family I have. And I guess I…don't want you to die." Sasuke bit his lip.

"I get it."

Sasuke looked at Takani for the first time since he'd started talking. "Well, don't be getting used to this. Just go sign the form."

Takani nodded and Sasuke left. She smiled to herself. He cared, even if he didn't want to show it. Then she started off toward the booth.

She waited in a line for a few seconds, but was soon at the front. The person behind the table gave her a paper and a pen. She signed her name and gave the paper back to the person.

Anko was organizing the people as they got ready to go into the forest. They had two days.

Takani silently walked up to the gate where they were going to be released. She felt a sinking feeling in her gut. It was like they were going given no time to prepare.

Anko went around, chatting. She gave each team a scroll of a certain color. When she got to Takani she looked confused.

"Why're you here?"

Takani looked at Anko strangely. "I'm competing."

"How old are you, like, five?"

Takani nodded. Anko shook her head in amazement. Either that or disbelief.

"Well then, where's your team?"

"They had a counting error and I wasn't given one."

Anko looked skeptical, but gave Takani a scroll anyway. It was blue.

"So, five _and_ alone. This'll either be interesting or over soon."

She walked away. Leaving Takani alone. She was surrounded by lots of other people, but she felt very alone. Neji and his team had gotten a red scroll. He was a formidable opponent. She just hoped that she wouldn't be forced to take his scroll. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all had blue scrolls, like Takani. At least she knew someone.

Anko had a whistle. She held her hand up.

"On your mark!" She said around the whistle.

Everyone stood by the gate as though starting a race. Takani took a deep breath and calmed herself. A second later there was a high pitched screech. Takani took off, passing everybody in her group and leaping into the trees.

The challenge had begun.


	21. Chapter 21

Takani crouched on a tree branch. She had been making her way steadily to the tower in the center of the forest, but had heard someone coming. It was a team of three. They were talking as they went.

"Calm down, Gaara. You don't need to kill anyone now."

Takani froze. Gaara. He was one of the Sand ninja that she had met earlier. He seemed pretty dangerous, but he looked young and innocent. The older girl, however, looked difficult.

Takani took a deep breath and started to jump from her perch on the branch. Before she finished, however, another team came bursting out of the brush.

"Give us your scroll!"

The older girl started laughing. Gaara glared at the group of Genin. Then, he gave a small, sickly smile.

"Heh…you really want to fight?" he said quietly, balling his fists.

"Heck yeah! You're going down!"

"Gaara, don't—" the boy in the black jacket said, reaching out as Gaara raised his hand to the Genin.

"You are going to die, right here," Gaara said. Then he started to laugh. It was frightening.

The three oncoming Genin split up and came at Gaara from three different sides. One of them threw a few shuriken. Gaara didn't move to defend himself.

A split second before the shuriken hit him, a wall of sand shot up to block them. Gaara smiled again.

"Idiots. I'm going to kill you."

He raised his hand to the closest Genin. Before the boy could react, there was sand coating his whole body.

"Gaara, this is really unnecessary," the older girl said, trying to stop Gaara from doing whatever he was going to do.

"Sand coffin, Sand burial." Gaara said softly. The boy rose up, and then the sand crunched down on his body. There was a sickening crack, and the boy's lifeless body fell to the ground. His teammates rushed forward, but stopped when they saw the look on Gaara's face.

They backed away into the bushes. The only girl on the team started crying.

Takani's eyes widened. Gaara had just…destroyed the perfectly adept ninja. With one move. And that sand, it had come to his defense like he wasn't even controlling it. And not even letting the team recover their dead teammate—that was cruel.

She jumped down from the branch and into the clearing where this was all taking place. Gaara immediately turned to her, his eyes dark. The older girl looked surprised that anyone would approach the situation.

"Go get your teammate," Takani said to the team cowering in the bushes. They looked at her in fear.

"Do you want to die too?" Gaara said, summoning the sand.

Takani took a deep breath, mustering up her courage. "I don't think you're that capable."

The boy in the black jacket sucked in a breath. Gaara snarled.

"Go!" Takani yelled to the team in the bushes. "You're not just going to leave him there, are you?"

"You're the little kid we saw in the Leaf, huh?" Gaara said, narrowing his eyes. "How old are you, three?"

"Five, thank you," Takani said sharply. The two Genin in the brush started to creep towards their dead teammate.

"Do you want to fight?" Gaara asked. "Because if you do, you will die. To kill you will make me feel whole. I like that feeling."

Takani sucked in a breath. "You're all talk."

The older girl was starting to panic. "No, he's not. It's not really smart to go up against him…I mean…you're just a kid—"

Gaara held up his hand to silence his team member. He took a step towards Takani, but she knew better than to back up. She stomped her foot on the ground where she was standing, as if to say 'I'm not going anywhere.'

"All I'm asking is that you let them get their teammate. You aren't too heartless to allow that, are you?"

"So what if I am?" Gaara asked, smiling slightly.

"Well…" Takani started. The two Genin were quietly picking up their dead teammate by his arms. Then they crept off into the bushes. "…I'd say that you're too late."

Takani jumped into the trees and away from Gaara. He whipped around to see the Genin taking the boy's body into the woods. He cursed and stomped the ground.

Takani met up with the two Genin. The girl had tears on her face. They had laid the body down on the ground a hundred yards from the clearing where Gaara and his team were.

"You guys okay?"

The girl and boy looked up. They were from some smaller Hidden Village, but Takani didn't recognize the symbol on their foreheads. They were both about twelve or so.

"Thank you," the boy said. He was struggling to keep himself together.

"I can't believe he's…" the girl whispered, hugging her knees.

"I'm sorry I didn't do something sooner," Takani said, sighing.

"He's my brother," the girl said, her voice thick. She was stroking his hair. There was blood everywhere.

Takani took a deep breath. "I know how that feels," she said softly.

"You can take our scroll," the boy said, taking out his pack slowly and opening it.

"No, you guys have to—"

"I really don't feel like doing this anymore," the boy said. He handed Takani their blue scroll.

"Just take it. I don't want to see it," the girl said, starting to shake.

Takani took the scroll from the boy. Then she took a kunai from her pack and wrapped a paper bomb around it.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked.

"Sending people to come get you guys."

The girl started to cry. Takani threw the kunai into the air as hard as she could. As it hit its peak, just above the trees, she made a hand sign. The bomb exploded, sending a red flare up into the air.

Takani gave one last 'sorry' to the Genin and started to run away. About a minute later, some Chunin came and helped the boy and girl back to Konoha.


	22. Chapter 22

Takani stopped. There was someone there.

"Hello?" she asked, flicking the kunai in her sleeve down into her hand. There was a rustle, and then the sound of two feet lightly touching the ground. Takani narrowed her eyes and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Hello."

Takani felt a small jolt in her stomach. Her heart quickened as she turned around to face the speaker. It was as she suspected.

Neji's mouth was slightly open. He was holding no weapon, but the look in his eyes was unmistakable. He was here to fight.

"So it's you," Takani said, resisting the urge to let go of the kunai. She had never had to fight Neji. Now that was going to change.

He looked at her pack. "You have a blue scroll, don't you?"

Takani nodded. Neji sighed and shook his head. "We have a red one. I almost knew this would happen. Well, I promised you that I wouldn't go easy." He slowly got into his fighting position.

Takani had never faced a Hyuga before. She had no idea how to combat the Gentle Fist. Everything was surreal, as though what she was seeing wasn't actually happening. She had to fight Neji. She would have to hurt Neji.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said.

Neji smiled. "I'd be worried about myself if I were you."

There was a sudden rush of adrenaline surging through Takani's body. Neji wasn't worried that she would hurt him. He was just as confident in himself as she was in herself.

"Where are Tenten and Lee?" Takani asked, taking a deep breath.

"Not here. It's just us."

Takani nodded in understanding. Then she got into her own position and readied herself for the fight. Neji hadn't activated his Byakugan. He was sure that he would win.

Takani spun in a circle, flinging her kunai as she did. Neji dodged it and ran to her. He had chakra in his fingertips, and he began to jab at her.

Takani tried to follow his hands, but they were moving too fast. She was overwhelmed by the movement, and in the meantime he managed to hit her once in the stomach. She felt the sudden pressure, then nothing.

As half second later, Takani felt a stab in her gut. The pain rippled through her chest and up around her shoulders. Her stomach felt like it was twisting. She gasped and staggered back. He kept coming.

The pain in her gut didn't subside, and he hit her again. This time it was in the shoulder. The same sensation as before overcame her. When the pain hit, it seemed to combine with the other hit and swirled around her body. This, she realized, was the feeling of her chakra being cut off.

With one last hit, Neji struck another chakra point in Takani's arm. The pain was intense, but was followed a moment later by a sense of horrific numbness. All the chakra had been cut off from Takani's arm.

She leaped back before Neji could hit again. With her other hand, she shook her numb arm. She felt nothing. Panic started to set in. Neji was activating his Byakugan. Soon he would know where she was, up in a tree. Shakily, she sent chakra to her eyes, starting up her Sharingan. She watched from her perch as Neji looked with his mind for her.

There was a look of realization on his face as he realized where she was and started towards her. She was able to watch his movements now. With a deep breath, she jumped down from the tree branch and faced Neji.

He remained emotionless as he ran to her. With her working arm, Takani made a hand sign. It was only half the sign, and she wasn't sure what it would do.

"Shadow puppet jutsu!" she called, biting her lip. If this didn't work she was finished.

Neji stopped momentarily. He looked around himself for the puppet. Nothing came. Takani felt a tear come to her eye. The jutsu hadn't worked.

Suddenly, Takani felt a flood of inspiration come to her. She jumped back into the trees and quickly fished through her pack for some string. Then she tied it around two of the fingers in her numb hand.

The moment she finished, Neji was up in the tree. The branch was about six feet long. Only four of that separated them. He took a step closer, preparing for the finishing attack.

He raised his hand. Takani's eyes went wide and she let her panic tears flow.

"Wait!" she cried weakly. He paused, his hand in the air. She bit her lip and sniffled.

"I can't feel my arm. Please stop. You can have my scroll." She sniffled again. "I'm scared."

Neji examined Takani's face. Her eyes were sparkling, and the trail of a tear was forming on her cheek. He opened his mouth slightly, then let his hand drop.

Takani didn't hesitate. She whipped around, sending her numb arm flying in Neji's direction. The piece of string she had used held together two fingers, and between those fingers was a kunai. The blade hit Neji's arm, sending flecks of blood onto the tree's leaves.

Neji grunted in surprise. Takani jumped from the tree and onto the ground. Neji followed. Yanking the kunai out of her fingers and lifting her numb hand, Takani formed a clumsy hand seal. Almost immediately, a shadow sprang from the ground and raced in Neji's direction.

The Genin stepped back. Blood was soaking into his shirt where the kunai had hit him. The shadow struck him in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. He hit a nearby tree trunk with a thud, and sank to the ground.

There was a whooshing sound. Takani whirled around just as a shuriken flew past her, chopping off a small lock of hair as it did. She hurled a kunai in the direction of the attack. As she did, three Genin jumped out of the trees and raced towards her.

"Get her!" a male voice yelled. The ninja came at her with kunai and shuriken. One grazed her numb arm. A few prick of blood began to form. Takani's heart started racing. She didn't feel anything.

With a kick, one of them was on the ground. With her good arm, Takani sunk a kunai into the shoulder of another. The one on the ground started to get up as the third one came at her. It had a paper bomb in its hand.

She felt a hard slap on her back. She struggled to reach for it, but it was in a place that she couldn't touch. Immediately, she started to take off her shirt.

Before she could do anything, she felt a sharp pain in her side as someone's foot connected. As she fell to the ground, Takani watched the far Genin raise his hand into a sign. One that activated bombs.

Suddenly, there was a pull on her back. The paper bomb was ripped away, but there was no one there. About ten yards off, there was a large explosion. Takani jumped back and threw three shuriken at the Genin. Each one hit their marks.

Immediately Takani turned in the direction of the explosion. As the dust settled, she saw someone standing there.

"It looked like you needed help," a male voice said. He had black hair. When he turned to Takani, she saw that he had bright green eyes.

"Y-yoshihiro?" she stuttered. He was the Chunin who had escorted her to the meeting with the Hokage and Jonin.

"Being blown up isn't fun," he said, stepping toward her. "I'm your appointed spotter for this part of the exams. How's your arm?"

"I wouldn't know," she said, shaking it with her other hand. It moved lifelessly.

"You're really amazing, you know," he said admiringly.

This caught Takani off guard. "What?"

"You're just so confident. I wish that I could be like you, I really do."

Takani shook her head. "No you don't."

Yoshihiro ignored her. "You took all three of those guys on with one arm and your central chakra cut off. You even beat Neji Hyuga."

"Crap!" Takani cried, spinning around to where Neji was. He was standing next to the tree he had flown into, a calm look on his face.

Yoshihiro smiled and jumped back into the trees. Takani looked at Neji, her eyes pleading.

"I'm sorry…" she said, looking down at her feet.

Neji shook his head. "I'm sorry too. I really shouldn't have done that. I mean, I just disabled you and then sat around while you fought that team off."

"No, it was okay. How long will it be until I can feel my arm again?"

Neji sighed. "I can release the chakra points if you want."

Takani nodded, and Neji walked toward her. He stopped in front of her and got down on one knee. Even crouching down he was still only barely shorter than she was.

Putting one hand on her stomach, Neji closed his eyes and started focusing chakra to his hands. There was a cool blue glow, and the knot in Takani's gut unclenched.

"Man…" she whispered. Neji looked up at her quizzically, but she just shook her head. The feeling of relaxation and relief was overwhelming.

He did the same to her arm. The feeling flooded her limb and in fifteen seconds she could move it again. It was such a good feeling.

The two went to the three Genin sprawled on the ground. They were breathing, but the sudden shock of the shuriken in their chests had caused them to lose consciousness. Takani looked through their packs.

"Four scrolls. Three blue, one red. I'll take the red one and you can have the rest."

Neji nodded and took the scrolls. Then he stood up and looked at Takani.

"Let's hope this never has to happen again," he said seriously.

Takani nodded. She looked at him for a moment. Then, for no real reason, she hugged him around the waist.

He tensed up at her touch, the muscles in his stomach clenching. After a moment, though, he began to relax. Then, cautiously, he hugged her back. A tear fell down Takani's cheek, following the same path as her earlier ones had.

Then she let go, wiped her eyes and said goodbye. He did the same, and then the two went separate ways.


	23. Chapter 23

Takani flexed her arm. It was getting late, and soon the sun would go down. She was faced with a difficult choice: Continue on and face the forest at night or find a place to rest and waste valuable time.

She didn't stop running, even as the sun sank lower in the sky. Everything had a crisp, orange tint to it.

As she ran, the light faded, and everything was dark. She was starting to tire, so she paused for a moment. The starts were bright, coating everything in silver. She took a deep breath and sat back against the tree. Then she heard the scream.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Immediately her ears perked. It was Sakura. She was in trouble. And, apparently, so was Sasuke.

Takani leaped from the tree and toward the scream. There was a gigantic thud, shaking the ground. Something bad was happening.

"Sakura?" she called, sprinting along the ground. Reflexively, she took a kunai from her pouch and flicked it with her fingers into her sleeve. She was running low on weapons.

"Get away!"

A terrified scream echoed through the forest. This time it was Sasuke. Takani felt her heart speed up as she raced through the trees and into a clearing. The screams were so close, but there was no one there.

As she looked around her, Takani noticed something. A tiny leaf fluttered down past her. Along with it came a few others. She activated her Sharingan and looked up.

High up in the trees, there was a battle going on. She fleetingly saw Sasuke jumping back, and then there was the clang of metal.

Suddenly, Takani felt something hit her forehead. Immediately her hand flew up and brushed it away. It was wet.

The red smudge on her hand kicked her into action. She jumped up through the trees, focusing her chakra to her feet. She ran up a tall trunk, her eyes flaring.

"Sasuke!" she yelled, gritting her teeth. Maybe if he knew that someone was coming he might keep fighting until she got there.

The first person Takani saw was Sakura. She was crouched on a branch, a terrified look on her face. She didn't move, or speak, but just sat in horror.

"Sakura!" Takani said, landing on the branch beside her. Sakura didn't look at the five-year-old, but instead raised a shaking finger.

Takani whirled around just as a giant crack thundered through the trees. Naruto was thrown into a tree, blood leaking from his mouth. He fell, his eyes closed.

Takani immediately lunged at him, arms out. She caught him in midair and her momentum brought her to a nearby tree trunk. She set him on a branch and turned to the continuing fight.

Sasuke was standing on a branch as well, his sharingan flaring. Takani looked in the same direction that he was, at a giant snake. She had seen others like this, but never this close and never this big. Its tail could have touched the ground, and it would still never move its head.

What was even more striking about the snake was the person standing on it. It was a woman, appearing to be about sixteen or seventeen. She had long hair and had a purple rope tied around her waist.

Then Sasuke jumped. For a moment she had no idea what he was doing. Then, he pulled out four shuriken and threw them at the woman. She easily dodged them, but he was right there with more. He came at her with a punch and a kick, but she was faster than he was. He jumped away just as she attacked, then landed on the branch. All this happened within the space of a few seconds. They ran at each other, legs and arms flailing around. Each move was precise, but powerful.

Takani watched for a moment, spellbound. Sasuke really was good. Up until now she had never seen him _fight_. His sharingan caught her every move, and he countered each one accordingly. She was fast, so fast that without her sharingan Takani would never have caught any indication of a fight.

Sasuke sent a giant whirl of flame after her. It swirled around her, but she seemed not to care. He seemed to be on top of the battle, almost ready to win.

Then, the woman jumped back. She sent a wave of air…no, not air. It was worse than air, and the sound of it hurt Takani's ears.

Sound. That's what it was. It was sound.

The wave flooded Sasuke, but a half second later he was out of the way and on a large dead tree trunk. The wave hit the side of the trunk, causing it to crack in half. Sasuke jumped and snatched the woman off her feet. He flew off the trunk and flipped the woman onto her head. Before she had time to react, he had her locked in place.

Sasuke straightened out his body to pick up speed. What was he doing? He was falling at an unimaginable speed now. With all that force, he landed on a tree branch. The woman landed on her head.

Sasuke held her there as her arms went stiff. Then they relaxed, and she fell to the ground. He jumped away, a look of confusion on his face. Almost like he hadn't expected the move to work.

She twitched once more, then started to sink into the branch. Takani watched in horror as the woman melted into mud. It had been a clone.

Before Sasuke had time to react, he was hit with a rain of kunai. They came from some unknown source, pelting him ceaselessly. He jumped out of the way and off the branch. From his pack, he pulled some nearly invisible wire. With it, he grabbed a knob on the tree and swung around.

The moment his feet hit the next branch, the woman was there. She came at him and punched him in the face, sending him flying backwards. Without letting him respond, she hit him again in the stomach, then in the chest. She kicked him once, and with another punch sent him backwards. He didn't move.

Takani gasped. Sasuke had let his guard down. Granted, only for a second, but he had opened himself up as a target. Still, this woman was formidable. She took a step towards the motionless Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, watching in horror as the woman approached Sasuke. Takani held out her arm to stop the Genin from going any farther. All she would do is get herself killed.

Suddenly, there was an explosion behind the woman. She stumbled forward as Sasuke leaped up. He cast out some wires, surrounding the woman. Each one had a shuriken attached to the end. He yanked on the strings and they flew by the woman, wrapping around her and plastering her to a tree.

Sasuke formed a few hand seals, then brought his fingers to his mouth. They spewed fire, which traveled down the rope and onto the woman. She couldn't move to defend herself. The fire scorched her, and she screamed in pain.

The tree she had been on was burning. Sasuke stopped the flow of fire and slumped down. The amount of fire he had produced had drained him of nearly all his chakra. Sakura jumped down from her branch and ran to him happily.

"You did it!" she said, almost giggling. Sasuke was catching his breath, and he didn't look at her.

Suddenly, there was the sound of wires snapping. The woman stepped away from the tree. Takani shook the kunai in her sleeve down into her hand. The woman was still alive?

The woman put her hands together into a seal. Sasuke immediately cried out, then started to shake. He remained almost motionless, and the woman laughed. It sounded different, lower.

"I didn't know that you could use the sharingan so well," she said. Takani quietly used her chakra to climb down the tree trunk to the level that the others were at.

The woman wiped at her forehead protector. As though written in chalk, the grass village sign on her forehead transformed into that of a music note. As Takani got closer, she saw that the woman's face seemed to be melting off. One of her eyes was different, colder.

Sasuke screamed in pain, but the person kept talking.

"You truly are his brother."

"Who are you?" Sasuke yelled, gritting his teeth. Takani moved silently around a tree, keeping out of sight of the person.

"My name is Orochimaru. I control the Sound village ninja. If you ever want to see me again, rise to my challenge."

"Why would we ever want to see _you _again?" Sakura cried.

Orochimaru didn't answer. Instead, he made another hand seal. Instantly, his neck extended towards Sasuke. Before the boy had any time to react, Orochimaru's head bit him on the neck. He stopped moving, paralyzed by the pain.

Orochimaru reclaimed his head. Takani watched Sasuke's neck in horror as three tomoe formed in a circle on it. It was like a sharingan, only terrifying.

Sasuke fell to the ground, clutching his neck. Orochimaru smiled.

Immediately, Takani jumped from the tree she was hiding by and raced toward Orochimaru. He looked surprised for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

"What did you do to him?" she cried, hurling the kunai in his direction. Orochimaru easily dodged the blade.

"I gave him a little parting gift," Orochimaru said. "And who would you be?"

"Like hell I'm telling you!"

Takani put her hands into position for her shadow puppet. She wasn't at full chakra thanks to her earlier battle with Neji, but she had enough. The shadow rose from the ground and materialized in front of her. She planted her feet as Orochimaru watched her in what seemed to be slight amusement.

The shadow came from behind him. He calmly did a single hand seal and his hand burst into flames. He reached out and set the shadow on fire without looking away from Takani.

"And how old are we? Three? Four? Aren't we far too young to be playing in the forest?" Orochimaru smiled sickly and held up his hand. Takani snarled.

"What did you DO to Sasuke?" she screamed, pulling out wire from her pouch and a paper bomb. Orochimaru shook his head.

"Now, we shouldn't get too feisty. He'll come looking for me, and he knows it."

Takani wrapped the paper bomb around the wire. Maybe, if she tied it around him…

She jumped at him, her last shuriken in hand. She threw it and then began to attack. Orochimaru blocked her kicks and punches with ease. Slowly, Takani made her way around him, a constant source of attacks. As she completed her loop around him, she slowed. It was only for a second, but it was enough time for Orochimaru to kick her. She grunted and fell to the ground. She rolled over and came at him again. He raised his eyebrows.

"Really? The same thing again?"

As she came toward him, Takani quickly moved her hands into position. She had only seen Sasuke do this once, but maybe she could get it right.

As she reached Orochimaru, she blew into her fingers. At first nothing happened. Then, a small lick of flame appeared. She didn't have nearly enough chakra to make a decent amount of fire.

Orochimaru struck out, catching Takani in the chest. She turned as he hit, letting the punch slide off her chest. As she turned, she kicked out, putting her hands up to catch herself.

She hit the ground, kicking upward. Her leg wasn't very long, but it managed to hit him on the side of his knee. It buckled out from under him, but as he fell he came at her with a kick of his own. She blocked it with crossed arms and spun around. The wire that she had been carrying tightened. She had looped it around him before. The moment it touched his waist, she activated the bomb.

The explosion was huge, and it knocked Orochimaru into the air. Takani didn't waste a moment. She jumped from the branch, following him into the sky. As he went up, she punched him hard in the stomach. He arched his back, his gut curling around her hand.

Suddenly, something wet touched her arm. His long tongue was wrapped around her wrist. She struggle to get free, but his right arm elbowed her, knocking the wind out of her. She struggled to get a breath as they reached the peak of their ascent and began to fall back down. Her hair flew up and she tried to release his grip. He formed a hand seal and looked into Takani's eyes.

Immediately she froze. She hadn't truly looked at his face. Now she saw it in all its ugliness. Where Sasuke had scorched it, it was blistering and melting. On one eye, the skin had peeled away altogether, leaving a darker, colder looking eye. It was like his whole face was a mask.

A mask.

Takani brought her arm up and dug her nails into the side of his face. Then, with all her strength, she pulled downward. The skin detached itself from his real face and slid off. Takani struggled not to vomit, throwing the skin down.

Orochimaru smiled, his mouth extending wider than anyone's should. His cheeks were sunken in, and his skin was pale white.

With a grunt, Takani swung up to face the sky, kicking Orochimaru in the chest. She shot away from him just as they entered the tree line again. As she caught herself on a tree, she formed another sign.

"Golden Arrow jutsu!" she whispered. Orochimaru was standing on the same tree branch as before, as though he was waiting for her.

As she watched, hundreds of shining arrows materialized and arranged themselves around him. He watched calmly as the arrows prepared to strike him.

"So he knows it's a mirage…" Takani whispered to herself, smiling.

She leaped out of the cover of the trees and over Orochimaru's head. She had a kunai she found in her hand.

"Ninjutsu no genjutsu!" she said loudly, tossing the rock into the air. It was a trick she had created, or at least believed that she had created. If one had a solid material, they could insert it into a previously cast genjutsu, giving the illusion physical form.

The rock disintegrated in midair as millions of tiny little particles shot towards the arrows at an unimaginable speed. They filled the golden arrows, giving them form. Orochimaru's eyes widened as the arrows converged.

They all struck the ground at once. Where Orochimaru had been standing was a large cloud of dust. Takani landed on the ground, breathing heavily.

When the dust cleared, Takani sighed in exasperation. Orochimaru wasn't there. Of _course _he wasn't there. How could she expect to beat him with a simple magic trick like that?

A fist hit her from behind, snapping her head forward. She was almost out of chakra, and her strength was fading. A foot hit her in the side. Orochimaru seemed to have unending energy.

She looked up to see Orochimaru standing right in front of her. His hands were in the shape of a seal. As he brought them apart, the sound of crackling electricity and a jumping blue light met Takani's eyes.

He raised his arms up. Takani didn't have the strength to get up, but she made herself get onto one knee and try standing up. Orochimaru smiled once more and brought his arms down. Takani closed her eyes.

There was a bright flash, and then the sound of thunder, but Takani didn't feel any pain. Was there a burn so bad she couldn't feel it? Was she dead? She slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a shoe. It wasn't Orochimaru's. The person's leg was wrapped. She looked up to see long brown hair.

With all of her strength, Takani got to her feet. When the noise in her head cleared, she screamed.

Neji was standing in front of Orochimaru, his hands out to the side. He was frozen in place, a blank look on his face. Where he had been using the Byakugan, the popping veins in his face were slowly flattening. A trickle of blood came down the side of his mouth.

Orochimaru's jutsu had hit him in the chest. He made a small noise and fell to the ground. Orochimaru looked surprised.

Takani stared at Neji's body blankly. Neji. That was Neji. Neji was…no he wasn't. No. This wasn't happening.

"O-orochimaru…" she said quietly, her voice shaking.

The man looked at her calmly. She looked down. There was something boiling inside her. Such an intense rage she had never felt before. She balled her fists and took another shaky breath.

"I'm…I'm going to…Neji…"

There was a heat in her face. It was centered around her eyes. Then, a sudden strength welled up inside her. It was like all the energy in the world was forming in her eyes.

She jerked her head up at Orochimaru, tears flowing down her face. Her eyes were contorted in hatred.

Orochimaru's mouth slowly opened in surprise. In each of Takani's eyes, where there had been a sharingan with two tomoe, was a black mark in the shape of a shuriken.

"The…mangekyo sharingan?" Orochimaru said, confused.

Takani didn't answer. Neji's body was motionless on the ground a few feet away. Neji was dead, and Orochimaru was going to pay.

**(A/N: NEEEEEEJJJIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!)**


	24. Chapter 24

Sasuke was on his hands and knees on the ground. With each breath he took, the pain in his neck worsened. It was slowly spreading to his shoulder, and then down his arm and chest. He gasped as the wave of pain hit his spine.

Takani stood on the branch next to Orochimaru. He was wearing his horrible smile, staring intently at her face. Her fists were balled at her sides. Neji was lying on the branch, a small pool of blood forming at his mouth.

Takani felt an empty feeling inside her chest. It was like something had been ripped out and thrown to the ground. She felt no tears, just the empty feeling and a sudden power.

Neji. Orochimaru hurt Neji. Orochimaru hurt Sasuke. Orochimaru was going to die. She was going to kill him. He was going to die.

Orochimaru reached out his hand as though to put it on Takani's shoulder. "Another Uchiha, hmm?"

Takani smacked his hand away. The ground was so clear-looking, even more so than when she'd had her sharingan. This felt different. Orochimaru had called it the Mangekyo. Whatever it was, she felt its power coursing through her body. The world seemed to move in slow motion.

Orochimaru put his hands together. He seemed to be moving so slowly. Takani jumped at him and attacked before his hands even touched. Her kick landed on his chest and he fell back, surprised.

"Neji!" Sakura cried. Takani whipped her head around. Sakura was staring in shock at Neji's body. Had she just realized? Was Takani moving and thinking that fast?

She hit him again, in the face. The punch was so fast that Orochimaru had no time to react. He flew backwards and landed on his back.

Takani heard a horrible scream. It was thick and desperate-sounding. Takani turned to Sasuke, but he was not the one making the sound. It was herself. She was creating the inhuman noise.

Suddenly, the world moved back into normal speed. Takani felt a flood of emotions fill her. Neji was dead.

Neji was dead.

"Neji!" she screamed. She came at Orochimaru again with another kick. She was never going to see Neji again.

She punched Orochimaru in the chest. He coughed and a fleck of blood landed on the ground. Takani punched again and again, tears starting to come to her eyes.

"Takani!" Sakura yelled. Takani didn't turn.

Orochimaru dodged her last kick and jumped away. Takani was out of breath, and the tears fell freely down her face. She slumped, the fatigue in her muscles catching up to her.

"I seem to have misjudged my target," he said, wiping a bit of blood from his lip. Takani glared at him, the shuriken in her eyes glinting off the moon. It had risen while they had fought.

"I'm…going to kill…" Takani said slowly.

"You're going to kill me, hm?"

Takani whipped a kunai out of her pack and threw it at Orochimaru. As he dodged it, she came at him with another flurry of kicks and punches. This time, however, she was running out of energy and Orochimaru blocked every attack.

"I think I'll use your body instead," he said, smiling. Then he tossed something lazily to the ground.

A second later the tree exploded. Takani felt the branch she had been standing on crack, and she tried to jump away. Sakura and Sasuke fell, screaming. Takani took the last bit of her energy and leaped toward them. Just as she was about to get to them, something hit her in the back of her neck. She tried to turn around as it let go. Fleetingly she saw Orochimaru's head disappearing into the falling branches. Then the pain hit her and she fell.

.

It was dark. The sky was clear, but the light from the stars hardly lit anything. Everything was moving, shaking, bouncing up and down.

Takani tried to move, but her arms were pinned to her sides. She looked up to see a dark face. It was a woman with long, dark hair and black eyes. She was panting.

Takani looked around. The woman was holding her. She was wrapped in a blanket, and couldn't move her arms. There was a crash, and the woman gasped. She started running faster, carrying Takani as she did.

From somewhere close there was a scream. Takani felt the woman carrying her startle and go even faster.

"Itachi!" the woman yelled, tears starting to form in her eyes.

There was a figure up ahead. It was wearing an ANBU uniform and holding a long sword. The woman screamed as it leaped toward her.

"Please, Itachi! Please, no, stop!"

Itachi raised the sword and slashed downward. The woman screamed and lunged to the side, the blade missing her by inches. She fell to her knees.

Itachi was there, and he struck down again. The blade hit the woman's arm, but she didn't make a sound. She got to her feet and continued running. Takani looked up at her in terror.

The woman turned suddenly down an alley between two houses. As she was nearing the end, she turned again and began to run up a set of stairs. Halfway up, there was a noise behind her. Itachi landed on the stairs. There was another figure with him.

The woman sucked in a breath and pushed Takani into the wall. There was a small gap in the bricks, just large enough for a baby to fit in.

A baby.

Takani watched from the wall as the Itachi and the other man came toward the woman. She screamed once, and then she fell to the ground. A splatter of blood coated the ground.

Takani made a small noise. Itachi's eyes flicked up to the wall. He left the woman on the ground and came to the small brick wall where Takani was curled inside.

He examined it, his eyes finally falling on her. The expression on his face didn't change as he raised his sword. Takani's heart started to pound, but she couldn't move. Itachi stared at her blankly as he struck the wall. Takani closed her eyes.

.

Pain. Pain rocked her body. It was like someone was stabbing her over and over, boiling her alive, slowly ripping her to pieces. The worst was centered at her neck. She felt like she was dead, or if she wasn't she sure wanted to be.

She took in a shaky breath and opened her eyes. The moment the air entered her lungs, it came out as a scream. Tears were streaming down her face like an endless tide.

There was a cool hand on her forehead, but it did nothing to help. Takani bolted upright, her back arching.

The hand tried to push her back down. Was this still Itachi? Who was Itachi? Why was he trying to kill her?

All the thoughts, as quickly as they came, were banished by the pain. She curled up into a ball, her mouth open. With every irregular breath she took, her throat rasped. It was as though she had been screaming for a long time.

"Takani, shhh…please don't scream…" It was Sakura's voice. The cool hand met hers, and she immediately wrapped her fingers around it. She gripped it tightly, as though trying to divert the pain from her own body to the hand.

There was a long scream. This time Takani knew it wasn't her own. Sasuke was writhing in pain on the ground. Sakura was crying.

"Sakura…" Takani managed to gasp. The Genin turned to her desperately. "What…what happened…to me…"

Sakura's eyes were red. "We…we were falling and he…" she trailed off.

"He bit you too."


End file.
